


This Is Letting Go

by knightswatch



Series: This Is Letting Go [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha!Rin, Alpha!Sousuke, Anal Sex, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Arranged Marriage, Completed, Frottage, Jealousy, M/M, OCs everywhere, Omega!Nitori, Omegaverse, Self-Lubrication, Some Nitori Aichirou/OMC, break ups, handjobs, omega!Momotaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-03-21 12:43:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3692772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Still, his eyes slid away from Nitori’s face, accepting the forced smile with one of his own. Nitori seemed to deflate a little when Rin retracted his gaze, chewing his bottom lip and backing up a slow step.</p><p>"I-I’m gonna go get something to eat. I’ll see you at practice, okay Senpai?" Rin nodded, letting Nitori’s footsteps recede entirely before hugging the jacket to his face and inhaling deeply. It smelled like Nitori; both the scent that clung to him naturally and the laundry detergent he used. Despite the frustrated knot in his stomach, Rin smiled against the fabric.<br/>------<br/>Rin's never been sure if Nitori likes him in the same way or not, and he's quickly starting to discover why that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I continue to be omegaverse garbage and also awful at summaries. The first chapter of this was part of Hazards of Love for awhile, but I didn't wanna make it into it's own thing until I was sure I had somewhere to go with it.

Sitting up in his bed with a labored stretch, Nitori’s eyes fell on the calendar tacked to the wall with a groan. Red circled surrounded the last five days; nearly a week trapped inside because of his stupid heat. He groaned once more, sliding off the bed with a wrinkle of his nose. The first thing he was doing today would have to be a shower, probably followed by burning his sheets judging by the mess they were in right now.

Momo was suspiciously absent though Nitori was a little glad for it; even if it meant there would be more bugs in the room later. Even if his roommate was a fellow omega the entire subject of heat was something Nitori found insufferably embarrassing. He ambled into the shower, still trying to stretch his sore muscles out, grimacing at the raw soreness in his throat.

When he returned he noted with some surprise that the sheets had actually been changed before him, even before Momo’s ruffled orange hair peeked out from the top bunk. He smiled so wide his face looked like it was ready to split.

"Ai-senpai! Feeling better?" He smiled, leaping off the top bunk with no thought given to the ladder. Nitori nodded, trying to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at Momo’s antics. It was easy to get annoyed with the exuberant backstroke swimmer, but he demonstrated recently that he could be surprisingly understanding and thoughtful.

"T-thank you, for the sheets I mean," Nitori felt blood creep into his cheeks and shook his head quickly to try and get rid of it. "I was going to do it after my shower."

Momo just shrugged before lifting the jacket that had been hanging from the top of the ladder and thrusting it at Nitori. He blinked a little in confusion, having assumed it was Momo’s own track jacket. He was more confused to see ‘Matsuoka’ embroidered on the back, the flush in his cheeks growing worse.

"A-ah, Senpai left his jacket?" He swallowed unevenly after speaking, taking it from Momo and cradling it against his chest, tilting his head.

"He gave it to me yesterday," Momo shrugged but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. Nitori decided he absolutely didn’t want to ask more about it than that.

"I’ll um, go drop it off for him then," he shrugged, struggling to seem casual about it. He grabbed his keys after getting dressed, deciding that after giving Rin his jacket he’d better get some food.

After taking a steadying breath, he knocked on the door to Rin and Sousuke’s room, smiling brightly when the latter pulled the door open. He yawned at the back of his hand though Nitori could see the smile that it was supposed to hide, one of his eyebrows quirked.

"That Rin’s?" He asked, sounding unruffled as Nitori nodded a little shyly. He’d gotten over most of his apprehension around Sousuke, but both he and Momo were acting like they knew something that he hadn’t quite grasped yet. "You want yours?"

"W-what?" Nitori responded, blinking his eyes and glancing back at the door to his room. He hadn’t actually looked for his jacket when he got dressed, assuming it would already be there. Sousuke shrugged a shoulder, turning and grabbing it off of Rin’s desk.

"Rin’s down in the weight room if you just wanna go give it to him." Sousuke didn’t reach out for the jacket after giving Nitori his own but didn’t move to close the door. Nitori’s teeth worried at his bottom lip, sighing a little.

"Did I do something weird?" Remembering things that happened during a heat accurately was well past difficult; everything was a jumbled mess of lust and fever and even trying to think about it made Nitori flush tomato-red every time.

Sousuke, as Nitori expected chose not to comment, giving him an impassive nod before nudging the door closed with that same knowing grin he’d been trying to cover for before. Nitori hung his head with a groan before turning to bound down the stairs, stubbornly ignoring the growling of his stomach.

Rin was in fact in the weight training room, glaring determinedly at the ceiling. He didn’t hear the tentative footsteps of Nitori entering as well though his next sharp inhale of breath alerted him to the scent. He rested the bar back into its cradle, heat creeping up the back of his neck as he sat up, turning to look at the omega with a half-smile.

He couldn’t quite bring his eyes up to Nitori’s face, instead letting them rest on the jacket dangling from his hand. It didn’t really help ease his embarrassment at all, but he scratched at the back of his neck anyway.

"Oi, you didn’t have to drag that all the way down here," he mumbled instead of a thank you, reaching out to take it with a nod. It was then that he couldn’t help a glance at Nitori’s soft face, even if he immediately regretted it. Nitori’s expression was a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, probably expecting Rin to explain why he’d shoved his jacket into Momo’s hands two days ago without saying anything.

Or why he’d convinced Momo to also steal Nitori’s jacket for him. Both the firey omega and Sousuke had laughed at him for both, apparently his attempts to help Nitori without even approaching his room were funny.

"Um, thank you, Senpai," Nitori mumbled without any further prompting. Rin nodded unevenly, giving another glance at Nitori’s face. It was still a mistake; the omega’s eyes had been forced closed by his smile, but it didn’t sit quite right on his face. Rin knew Nitori too well to be fooled by something so heavy and forced.

Still, his eyes slid away from Nitori’s face, accepting the forced smile with one of his own. Nitori seemed to deflate a little when Rin retracted his gaze, chewing his bottom lip and backing up a slow step.

"I-I’m gonna go get something to eat. I’ll see you at practice, okay Senpai?" Rin nodded, letting Nitori’s footsteps recede entirely before hugging the jacket to his face and inhaling deeply. It smelled like Nitori; both the scent that clung to him naturally and the laundry detergent he used. Despite the frustrated knot in his stomach, Rin smiled against the fabric.


	2. Chapter 2

Rin was only slightly embarrassed that he found himself jogging up to Ai's room as soon as he was able to pull his face out of the jacket. Sniffing it was probably more embarrassing than rushing off to pump his roommate for information while he was out, but Rin didn't dwell on the thought.

His fist pounding on the door to Momo and Ai's room sounded far too loud to his own ears and he cringed a little. The orange haired omega opened it with a smile so wide it looked like his face might split, the expression not dimming at all when faced with the grim twist of Rin's mouth.

"Matsuoka-bucho! What's up?" He asked, not seeming put off by Rin shoving his way into the room just enough to push the door shut. He was glad that the room didn't smell like Nitori in heat anymore; just the wisps of it that had drifted around in the hall the past week were enough to make the blood in his veins sing.

"I, uh, have a question for you," he hesitated as he started speaking, lifting his hand to rub at the back of his neck. Momo seemed fairly hard to ruffle, but it didn't make him feel any less awkward about asking. "Who's Souji?"

Momo stared at him for a moment, expression registering blank. Rin cringed again, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Momo certainly wasn't dull, but maybe he wouldn't think too hard about why Rin wanted to know.

"Oh! Seta-kun! He's Nitori-senpai's math tutor," he blinked back to life, smiling as if he was pleased with himself for knowing the answer. He tilted his head at Rin but instead looked at Nitori's desk. "He's been coming over a lot lately because Nitori has a test next week and he was worried about it."

"M-math tutor?" Rin questioned, trying to ignore the way the information made his stomach twist. Tutoring Nitori had been his job until they'd split rooms. "He's a third-year then? He's not on the team."

Momo shook his head at that, smile as effortless as before. Rin was glad he wasn't met with the questions Sousuke would've asked. "No... He's pretty nerdy for an alpha, I dunno if he does any sports."

His tone was pensive and he struggled so hard to remember that he missed the way Rin's expression soured at the word 'alpha'. It was ridiculous, he knew, he had no more claim on Nitori's time or affections than anybody. It didn't make it sting any less to think of the places in Nitori's life he had so comfortably settled into being taken over by another alpha.

"He was here the night before Nitori-senpai went into heat. I had to get him to leave cuz he really didn't wanna," Momo wrinkled his nose at that. Rin hesitated then snorted, looking away from the omega's sharp yellow eyes. He'd lifted both hands to the back of his head, leaning against them and kicking a foot out in front of him. "That what you were up to, Matsuoka-bucho?"

Rin shrugged, flicking his eyes back up to Momo's all too aware expression with a groan. "I was just wondering, I didn't know he had a tutor."

His crush on Nitori was not a well-kept secret, at least according to Sousuke. It had only taken a couple of weeks for he and Momo to become accomplices, and generally if Sousuke knew so did the omega. It was not an ideal situation for Rin, being that Nitori seemed unaware of his feelings.

His goal had been to keep it that way; their relationship was good as it was. He knew Nitori respected him, admired him even. Even when the omega's laugh made his stomach flip or he smiled directly at him and left his heart beating like a hummingbird, Rin was happy with how things were. He went out of his way to offer Nitori his protection, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary when they were roommates.

"So you can hear him when he's in here!" Momo crowed and Rin wondered how hard it would be to claw his own face off from shame. The omega had quicker wits than he let on and Rin nodded reluctantly. "I wouldn't worry about it Bucho, I think it was only because he left his notebook in here. I made Sousuke take it back to him because the smell was making Nitori-senpai all confused."

If 'confused' meant 'warbling his name in a heat fuelled daze.' Rin grimaced but nodded, glancing at the jacket folded over his arm with a flush creeping on the back of his neck. "I was just trying to help."

By all appearances giving Nitori his jacket had helped; he'd calmed down enough that his mewling and whimpering could no longer be heard across the hall in Rin's room. Evidently the specific kind of torture that caused had been so amusing to Sousuke that he didn't even question Rin when he'd come back with Nitori's pheromone drenched jacket.

"Ah, Bucho?" Momo sounded reluctant, his hands dropping away from his head as he looked up at Rin with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Are you avoiding courting Nitori-senpai cuz of his fiancee-thing?"

Rin stopped dead, turning and staring down at Momo. His heart dropped straight into his stomach, the blood rushing in his ears making the room feel too loud suddenly. "His what?"

"I dunno if he wanted anyone to know," Momo scuffed his foot against the floor before sighing. "Nitori-senpai is engaged to an alpha his family picked out."

"O-oh," Rin's face flushed and he closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a heavy gust of air. "No, I didn't know anything about that."

"He's supposed to come take Nitori-senpai on a date next week," Momo's face brightened considerably, thrusting one of his fists into the air. "You could fight him for senpai's heart, Matsuoka-bucho!"

Rin laughed at that, shaking his head a little at Momo's exuberance. He didn't have the standing with Nitori to offer a challenge, especially for an arranged marriage. Still the thought made his insides wither and he rubbed the back of his neck again. "Maybe I'll get a chance to meet him."

"I still think you should fight him," Momo grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What if he's mean or they get married and he poisons Nitori-senpai for his family fortune? You can't let that happen to him!"

The omega seemed truly distraught at the idea, and he rushed forward, gripping his hands into the fabric of Rin's tank top. "You have to make sure he won't hurt senpai!"

"Alright alright, I'll try and talk to him," Rin groaned, peeling Momo off him. He could feel the redness in his cheeks as he nodded. "I'll make sure the guy's... okay."

He was reluctant to say he would make sure Nitori was safe, the voice in the back of his head insisting that Nitori would only be safe with him was far too tempting. He sighed, shaking his head and looking down at Momo with a weary smile.

"Thanks, Momo-kun. You're a good roommate," he tried to say it seriously though the way the omega's face brightened at the praise was nearly enough to blind him. He nodded eagerly as Rin let himself out. 

Rin cursed himself for already having spent so much time lifting before weekend practice. A run was exactly what he needed to clear his head, but it would leave him too worn out for swimming later. He cast a withering glare at his own door before shaking his head and walking down the stairs instead. Maybe just a walk outside; avoiding Sousuke was more than enough reason.


	3. Chapter 3

Unfortunately, Rin had neither the temperament nor the space to continue avoiding his problems forever. He grumbled the news to Sousuke within two days of being told by Momo. He'd expected some kind of surprise to cross his childhood friend's face, but instead he nodded.

"He's from a pretty traditional family," Sousuke observed and Rin nodded this time. Nitori didn't talk much about his family, after living with him for a year Rin really only knew that he had strict parents and an alpha younger brother. Still, traditional certainly fit after the news that they were arranging a mate for Nitori barely a year after his presenting.

"Seems like it," Rin grumbled. His expression was dangerously close to pouting, but he couldn't quite wipe it off his face.

"What're you gonna do then?" Sousuke asked and Rin shrugged his shoulders with a sigh.

"Nothing. He hasn't even brought it up with me," Rin scratched the back of his head with a sigh. It shouldn't hurt that Nitori hadn't told him; it wasn't his business past being there as a friend. To his surprise, Sousuke laughed at that. Rin's head snapped up with a glare, arms crossing in front of his chest. 

"Of course he didn't tell you," he didn't expand on why that was so obvious and Rin's expression soured further. Sousuke rolled his eyes, rolling so his back was flat on his bunk and Rin couldn't quite see him. "Dumbass. Just talk to him."

Rin sighed, trying to continue to glare even as he decided Sousuke was probably right. Even if Nitori decided not to tell him, it hadn't helped that he had dodged being alone with the omega since his heat had ended. It was entirely possible that he didn't want to announce his pending engagement to the entire team.

He pulled himself up from the desk with a sigh, toeing his sneakers on and digging his phone out, sending a text to Nitori.

'up for a run?' He set the phone on the desk, tying his hair back into the small ponytail he favored for working out. It buzzed a moment later.

'☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ lets go senpai!' Rin laughed despite himself, tucking his phone in his pocket and draping his headphones around the back of his neck. He gave Sousuke a half wave, leaning on the outside of the door and waiting for Nitori to finish getting ready.

The omega stepped out of his room with a smile a moment later, tilting his head as he looked up at Rin. "Thanks for inviting me, Senpai!"

Rin nodded, turning to bound down the stairs with a crooked smile on his face. Running with Nitori was different than going by himself and usually he only invited the omega along when he wanted to work on improving his endurance. Or, like now, when he wanted the two of them to have time alone.

They were halfway through their first mile when Rin built up enough courage to broach the subject burning in his mind, looking down at Nitori as his feet continued to carry him forward.

"So am I supposed to congratulate you?" He asked, sighing a little at his own lack of tact. Nitori looked up at that, not quite surprised, but the smile on his face was so sad that it made Rin's chest hurt.

"Momo told you?" Rin nodded and Nitori looked ahead again, his usually shining face wrapped in turmoil. It was a long moment before he spoke again, and Rin wondered if he wasn't supposed to know. "No, I don't want you to congratulate me."

"Have you met him yet?" Rin raised an eyebrow as Nitori shook his head at the question. They weren't the things that he really wanted to ask, but the look on Nitori's face was so foreign that he didn't know how to move without stepping wrong.

"My parents have been interviewing candidates since I presented," Nitori did sigh at this, stopping now and running his fingers back through his hair. It took Rin a few steps to notice he wasn't running anymore and he turned to face the omega, leaving the space between them. He looked up at Rin, his mouth lifted into a watery smile. 

He took a step forward, closing the gap that had opened between them. It looked like Nitori was getting ready to cry and Rin always hated it when he did. It was even worse during times like this when it was him that caused the tears. He reached a hand out toward Nitori before dropping it back to his side, teeth digging into his lower lip.

He was trying to remember when they had become so close together, standing almost toe to toe now. Why had he thought things were enough as they were? The inches separating their lips felt like miles as Rin leaned down to close it.

Nitori went still as they pressed together, his breath mingling warm with Rin's. The gentle pressure of the kiss shorted out his mind for a moment, but when he regained it he took a stumbling step back, staring up at the alpha with wide eyes.

"R-Rin?" He wasn't sure what he was asking and the prickling in the back of his eyes grew more intense. It was nothing like all the first kisses he had pictured; it had been gentle and unexpected and so sad that he ached down to his bones. 

"I won't congratulate you," Rin shrugged but didn't quite meet with Nitori's eyes. The omega reclaimed the step he'd taken away, nodding his head and leaning up on his toes, giving Rin a kiss in return. Rin's arms wound around his waist, holding them flush together. Nitori's arms hooked around the back of his neck, small sounds falling into Rin's mouth that Nitori chased after with his tongue.

It was a long moment before he slowly pulled back, cheeks bright pink as he stared up at the alpha with confused eyes. The question sat heavy on his tongue but rather than ask he let himself lean further Rin's arms, trying to forget about why this was a truly terrible idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda short, I was originally planning on having it be the same chapter as the next part but it breaks more logically here.


	4. Chapter 4

Nitori thought that moment would be last he would hear of it. He went to practice the next day fully expecting Rin to evade all of his glances and be plagued with a shorter temper than usual. It was, in fact, disturbingly normal. He hadn't told any of his other friends on the team about his rather sudden engagement, and he hadn't even told Momo about kissing Rin. 

Things felt surreal, and Nitori found that the normalcy made his skin itch no matter how many laps he swam. It was like looking in on a life that he could no longer lead; a blissful bubble where he wasn't set to be mated to a man he'd never met. Where Rin Matsuoka hadn't asked him about his fiancee and then kissed him.

The thought made him look up at the captain, and he almost fell into the pool when their gazes met and Rin smiled. It wasn't the normal kind of smile, it wasn't sharp or full of teeth and fire. It wasn't amusement either. It was just the corners of his mouth turned up, eyes soft, looking so unendingly fond and pleased that Nitori was certain his heart would explode.

He'd seen the look on Rin's face before; when he looked at Sousuke or Nanase. When Nagisa jumped on Makoto's back and laughed until they were worried he would faint. When he was looking at the people he cared for so much and was certain they wouldn't catch it. But Rin was giving that look to him freely, letting him see a smile that Nitori was sure had never been directed towards him before.

He looked away and leaped into the pool before anyone had a chance to notice that his cheeks were bright red. As he swam he let himself believe that Rin asked if he should congratulate Nitori because the news wasn't happy for him either.

He swam more laps than he should before he finally let Momo pull him out of the water, nodding as he commented on Nitori's times. Rin smiled at him again, but this time it's normal, not the look he saw earlier.

"Hey Ai, can you help me file these times?" He asked and the sense of everything being right and wrong at the same time pains in Nitori's chest again. He smiled as brightly and ever and nodded because no matter how strange his life feels he doesn't want to turn down the time with Rin.

He dried his hair off and milled around with Rin until everyone was gone, making sure everyone's times have been taken down in the matrix that Rin keeps for tracking progress. By the time, the whole team went Nitori's swimsuit was cold on his legs and he ducked inside to change with Rin behind him.

They made it to the row of lockers where they both kept their bags before Rin's arms slid around Nitori from behind, hands settling warm on his full hips. Rin ducked his head to press into the crook of Nitori's shoulder, breathing the omega's scent mingled with the chlorine settled into his skin.

His smile seared into Nitori's skin and when the omega had relaxed into the surprising hold Rin ravished his shoulder with kisses. Nitori shivered against him, teeth digging into his lower lip as he tried to take back some control of his thoughts.

"R-Rin, we probably shouldn't-" Nitori started, his words cut off by a surprised moan as Rin licked gently at the very edge of his chin, barely brushing the scent gland there. The alpha pulled away, letting go of Nitori's hips with a slowness probably born out of reluctance. He turned around, swallowing and tilting his chin up to meet Rin's eyes, lips parted to form words he wasn't sure of saying. 

They didn't make it out, instead Rin's lips are pressed down to his again, capturing his open mouth in another kiss. He whimpered into it, reaching up to grip onto Rin's shoulders and pull him closer. It felt good to have Rin there, tongue licking methodically into his mouth, heat passing between their bare skin like closing a door that let in the cold. Rin's hand skittered down his side, pausing do draw uneven circles on the swell of Nitori's hip.

Every touch fuelled the fire that lit inside of his belly, making him burn bright and hot under Rin's hands. Nitori's whole life felt surreal except for this. Rin felt so real and present against him, his tongue in Nitori's mouth tasted like things he hadn't dared to want since his first heat, since his parents telling him they would pick out a mate that would 'suit everyone's best interests.'

It was that thought that made him draw away from the kiss again, panting with heavy-lidded eyes. He stared up at Rin, surprised by the flush on his cheeks, one of his hands lifting away from Nitori's hip to cup the omega's face instead.

"S-sorry," he mumbled finally but doesn't make any effort to move away. Nitori doesn't either and they stood for a silent moment measuring the situation. Rin spoke again after breathing out a heavy sigh. "You're right... We can-"

Nitori leaned up again and his kiss was warm and desperate and Rin's hand gripped tighter on his hip to help steady the omega. The situation was all wrong and Rin could feel the weight of Nitori's heart in his mouth. His hips pushed forward and the small line of his hard omegan cock pressed into Rin's thigh and made everything feel like floating instead.

He used his hand to shift Nitori's hips, grinding forward again so they lined up, pressing together through the thin layers of their swimsuits. Nitori's head snapped back between his shoulders, a soft mewl floating out of his mouth. The sound of it made Rin's blood sing, his fingers tracing a lingering line around the top of Nitori's swimsuit for a moment before peeling it down his thighs. 

Nitori gasped at the cool air meeting with his bare skin, fingers hooking into Rin's waistband and doing the same. His cheeks flushed pink as he stared for a moment at the difference between them; the alpha's cock was almost twice the size of his own, flushed red and dripping from the tip.

Nitori's stare made something primal inside of Rin rear its head, flexing in pride at the way the omega's cheeks darkened and his eyes went heavy. He leaned forward, dragging his tongue up the side of Nitori's neck as his hand wrapped around both of them, jerking slowly and holding their cocks pressed together. Nitori's hips pushed forward with a breathy whimper, his thighs quivering as he leaned on his toes to press closer into Rin, laving his tongue over the bottom of the alpha's chin, pampering the scent glands hidden under his skin.

The fingers of his free hand dig into the soft hair at the back of Nitori's head, the other stroking a steady rhythm that made his stomach boil. Nitori's nails dug red lines down his chest as the pace quickened, the precum spread between them causing slick sounds to join the trembling whimpers that fell from Nitori's mouth to caress over the side of Rin's neck where his lips were pressed.

Rin's hand slid from Nitori's hair to stroke the curve of his spine, a contented growl rumbling in his chest when the omega's back arched into the warm press of Rin's fingers. With Nitori pressed against him, rolling his hips forward with every tug of Rin's hand it felt like they were in an insulated bubble, friction generating heat that the cold world just outside tried to leach away.

His mouth slid over the pale skin of Nitori's throat, taking time to admire each curve of his neck. He left small nips behind, never digging his sharp teeth in more than a fraction, trying hard not to notice that the way Nitori whimpered in response sounded like longing. 

Nitori cried out as Rin's teeth grazed the curve of his ear, his whole body giving a jerk forward. His nails dug shallow crescents into Rin's sides and warm air hissed out from between his teeth, falling down the shell of Nitori's ear. He continued rolling his hips forward, cracking open his bright blue eyes to stare up at Rin with wide blown pupils.

“R-Rin,” he purred out, somewhere between a warning and a request. Rin leaned to crush their lips together again, the pads of his fingers tracing each bump in Nitori's spine. The omega's teeth dug into his lower lip with a long, strangled sound, his hips snapping forward unevenly with several spurts of clear omega cum painting across Rin's chest. 

He panted sharply as his mouth broke away from Rin's, continuing to grind himself forward against the alpha, his eyes fluttering as the sensation quickly bordered on being too much. He nipped once at Rin's collarbone, cheeks flushing as one hand dropped from Rin's side. His thumb circled around the wet head before his fingers wrapped around Rin's, guiding his strokes with a purr.

It took only a moment of this before Rin hit his orgasm as well, thick ropes of cum smeared across Nitori's slender chest and gently flared hips. Rin's weight sagged against the omega for a second as the waves of pleasure left him momentarily boneless. His breath slowed from harsh puffs and when he pushed his eyes open again he flushed a little at the wide smile on Nitori's face.

“We... should shower,” the omega giggled a little, pressing a kiss to Rin's cheek before gently disengaging himself. He stripped his swimsuit off the rest of the way, grabbing the small bag of toiletries from his gym bag, padding nude into the secluded showers and smiling as Rin joined him under the warm stream of water.

The alpha's arms wrapped strongly around his waist, letting his head rest on Nitori's shoulder. He grinned when Nitori's shampoo covered fingers lifted to tangle in his hair, massaging it in while Rin stroked idle patterns on the skin of his chest. The alpha closed his eyes, rumbling happily as Nitori continued washing his hair.

He lifted his head to rinse it, chuckling as Nitori handed him the bottle with a quiet laugh. He stood with his back to the faucet, lathering the omega's silver hair without hurry. With his height he could see Nitori's eyes flutter closed and the small smile that curved his lips upwards but it was the throaty purring sound that caught him by surprise.

He almost stopped as soon as he heard it, but continued massaging his hands through Nitori's hair if only to prolong the sound. He knew omega's purred sometimes, usually when they were feeling warm and happy and loved. When they were with their mates. Nitori didn't even seem to be aware of the sound, leaning all of his weight into Rin.

It continued when Rin shifted to rinse his hair, though the omega's cheeks flushed pink as he realized it too. He turned towards Rin who frowned when he stopped purring. He sighed softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Nitori's forehead before turning off the shower and leaving to get dressed, aware of the padding footsteps that followed just behind him.

He wanted to say something but word seemed to fail the entire situation. Instead, he made a point of not watching Nitori cover his skin up bit by bit and walked him back to his room as if everything were totally normal between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday came quietly, with Nitori asleep in Rin's bed, wearing one of his shirts and waking with their limbs tangled together. Rin looked at him with a flushed smile, stroking his fingers through Nitori's fine silver hair. Things felt warm and lazy and Rin found he had no desire to move, perhaps for the entire day. Nitori's eyes blinked open slowly as Rin played with his hair, soft whining sounds accompanying him into wakefulness.

"Wha' time is it?" He mumbled, pressing his face into the bare skin of Rin's chest. Rin laughed softly at the warm puffs of Nitori's breath tickling over his skin, reaching an arm over to the nightstand and curling his fingers around his phone. He surveyed the screen, swiping away a text from Sousuke to read later.

"10:30 or so," he shrugged, blinking in surprise as Nitori bolted upright. There was something like fear in his expression and despite the languid energy that was filling him earlier, it set Rin's nerves on edge. He leaned on one elbow, tilting his head and resting a hand on the exposed skin of Nitori's thigh, tilting his head.

"What's wrong?" He could smell Nitori's uneasiness now, pheromones exuding off him in uncontrolled waves. He looked at Rin and paled further before sliding himself off the bed and away from the soothing pressure of his touch, shaking his head rapidly.

"It's Saturday! I-I have to go," he flushed, digging through the unceremonious pile at the foot of Rin's bed for his clothing. It would have been a wonderful moment to admire the pale lines of Nitori's legs but instead Rin pushed himself up as well, the fear flooding out of Nitori filling the room and making his heart beat faster. It dawned on him as Ai pulled his shirt off and sniffed at his own shoulder, color starting to fill his cheeks. Saturday. Rin groaned, shaking his head and pulling Nitori close to him, fingers curling into the back of his hair, smoothing the mussed curls back into shape.

"You don't have to go," he offered, dipping his head to nuzzle at the soft junction between Nitori's shoulder and his neck. He wasn't sure if he was waiting for Nitori to calm down or push him away, but he did neither. He leaned his shoulder closer, feeling Rin's lips as they shaped words against his skin. "Not if you don't want to. You can stay."

Nitori hesitated at that, leaning his forehead against Rin's before shaking his head slowly. He sighed, pressing a soft kiss against Rin's temple and another against his lips when he lifted his head. It felt like an apology on its own and Rin let go with a quiet sigh, leaning down and scooping up Nitori's shirt before handing it to him. He was still tangibly afraid, and that alone was too much for Rin to ignore.

"Let me come with you to meet him," he said quietly, trying to make it sound more like a request than a demand. Nitori nodded without pausing to think about it, biting his lip before wrapping his arms tightly around Rin's waist and pressing his face into bare skin. It made Rin blush though he accepted the hug without comment.

"I'm scared," he mumbled out needlessly. Like Rin couldn't feel Nitori's fear with every fiber of his being. He rocked the omega in his arms, letting him cling on for as long as he needed to. He was quivering, just a little, a tremble that rocked through his slim shoulders like the air in the room was too cold. He let go again, even more slowly this time, his fingers leaving burning streaks over Rin's skin as they withdrew. "I have to go shower."

So he didn't smell like he'd spent the night in Rin's bed. The thought made the alpha's stomach constrict uncomfortably, but he nodded, leaning against the doorframe as Nitori let himself out. Reluctantly he decided that he should do the same, the soothing smell of Nitori still clinging to his bare skin.

When Nitori tapped a knock on his door he was half dressed, towel still draped over his neck. The sight of the omega standing in the doorway made the back of his neck turn red and he was glad for the towel covering it. He had changed from the baggy pastel t shirt and loose shorts to an outfit that fitted more tightly against his fetching body. A sea foam green dress, overlaid with white lace and a white sweater to protect him from the fading spring chill. He glanced nervously around the room, hesitating before shaking his head weakly.

"I probably shouldn't come in," he explained, biting his lip as Rin turned back to picking out a shirt. His eyes kept wandering over to Nitori without his permission, the image distracting enough that he wound out picking a shirt at random, glancing only briefly at the black fabric in his hands before pulling it over his head. Part of him knew that the expectation was for Nitori to dress to impress whoever this person was. It didn't manage to convince the part that was annoyed this was the first time he got to see Nitori dressed this way. The part that couldn't let go of the idea that Nitori was his. Tucking keys and phone into his pockets he turned with a nod, blushing a little still as he glanced Nitori over once more. He was wearing white stockings, making the line of his legs look milky and tempting Rin to reach out and touch them.

Nitori smiled at him, but the gesture didn't manage to make it all the way to his eyes, stepping out of the way as Rin pulled the door closed behind them. The walk down to the small quad near the main gate was painfully short, prompting Rin to accept that most of the day would be similarly painful. He watched Nitori from the corner of his eye, the way his teeth dug into the flesh of his lower lip, fingers picking at the hem of his sweater. His fidgeting only grew worse as he sat a careful distance away from Rin when the pair found a bench they could use to wait.

Rin left the silence where it was between them, watching Nitori shift uncomfortably. His hand hovered in the empty space, itching to take Nitori's and do anything to calm him. His demeanor shifted a little, blinking his eyes when a boy in a dark blue blazer walked through the gate. It was obvious he wasn't a Samezuka student, the dark jacket stood out against the pure white of Samezuka's uniforms. He looked around and smiled as soon as he saw Nitori, walking over with a relaxed confidence. Rin could smell the nervous edge to him before the alpha was close, but he kept his mouth set in an impassive line as he watched him. Nitori actually looked several shades brighter than Rin had seen him since waking up this morning, and when the alpha stopped in front of him he actually smiled as he stood.

"Dayu-kun!" He cried, tilting his head and looking around as if he was confused to see him here at all. "Y-you're here to see me?"

The alpha laughed as he nodded, chocolate hair falling in front of his eyes. His smile was all charm, but it didn't stop him from affording a nervous glance at Rin. He wasn't quite glaring, but there was a concerned furrow between his eyebrows, mouth closed firmly around his sharp teeth. He draped on arm casually over the back of the bench, meeting Dayu's orange eyes as he looked over.

"They didn't tell you?" He asked, one hand in his pocket as he looked away from Rin. His nerves were worse, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed and tried to keep the same smile as he looked at Nitori. "I figured you'd be expecting me."

Nitori shook his head, looking over with a smile as Rin stood. Dayu shrank back just a little, and Rin was glad to find he was several centimeters taller. He bowed his head politely but smirked in a way that flashed every one of his teeth.

"Rin Matsuoka. I'm the captain of Ai's team," he raised an eyebrow, standing just a shade closer to Nitori than was polite. It didn't matter if the omega wasn't as scared anymore, it was still an intrusion into territory he couldn't convince himself didn't belong to him. The way Dayu paled at the sight was satisfying though he bowed in return and scratched the back of his head when he stood.

"Watabe Dayu. We're uh, well we used to be friends," he smiled as Rin's smirk shrank to a more reasonable level. "It was quite nice of you to wait with him, Matsuoka-san. What team are you both on?"

"Ah, we're on the swim team," Nitori answered, and Dayu seemed more than happy to not have to speak to Rin directly more than was required of him. He knew he should excuse himself and leave Nitori to his date, but a persistent voice in the back of his head didn't want him to give up so easily.

"You still swim? You must be great by now!" Dayu's smile was too wide and his gaze wandered up and down Nitori's form in a way that didn't seem like he was evaluating his athletic capabilities. Nitori flushed at that and shrugged his shoulders.

"He's the hardest worker on the team," Rin responded before Nitori had the chance to put down his own performance. He glanced at Rin with a weak smile, shaking his head gently.

"I'm not the fastest by far, but Rin-senpai has always said that talent is nothing in the face of hard work," Nitori sounded like he genuinely believed that for once, like he wasn't about to quickly assert that he wouldn't ever reach the levels of people like Rin and Sousuke. He was getting better all the time, with the improvement so marked that Rin was actually envious on occasion. It had never made sense why he was so ready to look down on himself, but it was a habit he was intent on getting rid of as soon as he could.

"I see," Dayu glanced at Rin again before smiling at Nitori and looking around. "The campus here must be huge. Could I trouble you to give me a tour Aiichirou-kun?"

Nitori nodded and glanced at Rin who just shrugged his shoulders. He turned towards the pool and lifted a hand in a small wave, ignoring the irritation that curled in his stomach. It was somehow worse that Nitori's fiancee wasn't someone terrible, that he was an old friend that the omega might fall back into place with as easy as Rin and Sousuke had. "I'll talk to you later, Ai."

Nitori's cheeks flushed a little as Rin walked away, turning back to Dayu with a relaxed smile. Even if this wasn't the situation he wanted, it was nice to see his childhood friend again regardless. Maybe if he didn't think of it as a date, maybe if he forgot about the fact that they were supposed to be mates it would be easy. He caught just a second of the glare that Dayu leveled at Rin's receding back and found it much harder to put Rin out of his mind entirely.

"Must be a pretty dedicated captain to spend his Saturday waiting for a team members fiancee," Dayu observed, raising an eyebrow as Nitori started to lead the way down the path that led to the main courtyard. Nitori's cheeks felt warm and he shrugged his shoulders a little.

"Rin-senpai was my roommate last year," he gave as an explanation. It didn't really seem to be the answer Dayu wanted to hear, his eyes widening a little and his brow furrowing in concern.

"They stick alpha's and omega's in a room together?" He asked, sounding... Annoyed? Skeptical? Nitori wasn't entirely sure.

"I hadn't presented yet. It wasn't a problem though," he had been glad to spend all the time he could with Rin. Even when he was surly and quiet, even during his outbursts of anger and aggression. Nitori liked to think he had helped at least a little in Rin's far more relaxed attitude this year. Dayu hummed in a sort of unconvinced way, looking around the courtyard and taking Nitori's hand in his.

"D-do you still play piano, Dayu-kun?" Nitori's voice trembled a little as he asked, trying to ignore the way that the contact made his heart leap against the walls of his chest like it wanted to escape. It wasn't the same as the leaps and flutters it did when Rin touched him, there was an edge of panic to it now. It was like being boxed in with nowhere to run. Dayu nodded his head, seeming glad to be talking about something other than Rin.

"I do. I've had several solo concerts since starting high school," he sounded proud of himself and Nitori nodded with a smile. He'd liked listening when they were children, his small stature and delicate frame not lending itself to the rowdiness of other children. It was part of why swimming seemed to suit him so well. 

Dayu nodded his head, not noticing the flush in Nitori's cheeks as he recognized Sousuke sitting under a tree with a book spread in his lap. He seemed intent on reading it, the line of his back relaxed as he leaned against the tree, though Nitori was able to catch the way his eyes flicked up and the corners of his mouth turned down. He was glad, he found, that Sousuke had gone out of his way to keep an eye out, even if it was only at Rin's request. 

"Where is it you're going to school now?" Nitori asked, not sure what answer he was hoping for. He had liked Dayu as a child, and they had even kept in touch for most of middle school. It was a little surprising to see him presented as an alpha, the way the status added an extra straightness to his walk, his shoulders pitched back just a little bit. He was still slender, his limbs edging towards being a little too long for his frame. The baby-ish roundness was gone from his cheeks, leaving the angle of his jaw sharp and straight.

"Yaogami High," he looked down at Nitori with a grin, giving his hand a squeeze. "It's not nearly as impressive as all of this though. I guess it's to be expected that a Nitori would attend a powerhouse academy."

Nitori looked away at that, his heart beating jagged and uneven in his chest. He was not exactly the jewel of his family though it wasn't a fact he shared easily.

"Are you taking over for your father? After you graduate, I mean," Nitori stumbled on the question, hoping for a way to take the conversation somewhere more comfortable. Dayu nodded, letting the omega lead him down the winding path without asking about the class buildings.

"I plan to attend university in Tokyo first. He seems happy with the school I'm looking at," Dayu paused, looking down at Nitori and shrugging his shoulder. "I guess you being an omega was kinda a surprise, huh Aiichirou-kun?"

"Ah, I suppose. I guess it's good I never really had a head for business," the words felt like glass in Nitori's mouth. It was the same comment his father had made, disappointment in his eyes after Nitori presented. Dayu didn't seem to catch the bitterness, instead he laughed softly and nodded his head.

"Still, if you wanted to attend university I don't think that would be bad," he smiled, his eyes fixed on Nitori now. "You talked about being a teacher before."

Nitori blushed at that, looking down at the pavement under his feet. He swallowed around the roughness of his throat before shrugging. The gesture felt painful, like the lift of his shoulders carried enough weight to snap his back in half. "It was just a childish dream."

He had told Rin the same thing a month ago when he'd asked what the omega wanted to do after he graduated. It wasn't a lie, really, he did want to. He knew Rin held dreams in high esteem, and he didn't want to tell the alpha that his own dream didn't matter. The path of his life had been set down in front of him, there were too many expectations for him to spend his time dreaming. Dayu didn't say anything for a moment, nodding at a bench towards the end of the courtyard. They sat, Nitori holding in the sigh of relief when his hand was released.

"Your mom told me you were third in your class, you must study hard," Dayu leaned back, his arm draped over the bench. It seeped warmth against Nitori's back and he tried not to shift away as he nodded his head.

"I try to. I don't want to let anyone down," he smiled but flushed a little. He had meant it to sound light, but the words were true enough that saying them made his voice feel raw. It was like prodding a wound every time, remembering that he himself was a disappointment and working as hard as he could to undo it. He wanted people to be proud, like the way Rin's chest puffed forward just a little when Nitori beat his time or won a race. Rin didn't offer praise easily, and Nitori cherished every kind word the alpha gave him. 

He knew it frustrated Rin sometimes when Nitori looked down on himself. Like they both saw him as a different person. He swallowed the feelings down once again, folding his hands in his lap and lifting his head. Sometimes he wanted the alpha to see he was wasting time trying to build Nitori up, even as he leaned more and more on his support. It almost felt good to see Rin exasperated with him not accepting his progress as an accomplishment. Like he didn't just care about improving the team, he cared about Nitori personally.

"Is your brother doing well? He started high school this year didn't he?" Dayu wrinkled his nose a little at the memory of Nitori's hotblooded little brother. The omega laughed and nodded his head, tugging the ends of his silver hair.

"Aki is fine. He decided to go to an alpha's only academy, so he's getting into fights with everyone who looks at him funny," he smiled a little, shaking his head. Akihiko had been the first to present in his class, and being an alpha had only made him grow into a hotheaded attitude that nearly put Rin to shame. He was always looking for ways to prove himself superior and frequent victories led an arrogant edge to his personality. Nitori couldn't quite blame him; he knew from the few vulnerable moments that Akihiko had with him that he was working to impress an impassive father just as much as Nitori. They talked frequently, and though he hadn't come to meet Nitori's friends at Samezuka the two were surprisingly close. "He's studying hard though, and he'll probably be captain of their karate team by next year."

"He's just as ambitious as ever then," Dayu rolled his eyes, chuckling from low in his chest. "Do you remember those boys he fought for picking on you?"

Nitori nodded and laughed again, fingers curling into the fabric of his skirt. Akihiko had been seven, and even then he was taller than his older brother. "The Kenjin twins. I saw one of them at a swim meet last year."

"Did he recognize you?" Dayu was grinning a little, leaning close as they talked. Nitori could see the entertained glitter in his eyes as he nodded.

"As soon as he saw me he started looking around for Aki like he was going to come out of nowhere and break his nose again," Nitori giggled, his eyes squinting shut with the force of his smile. "He lost his race too, I think he was too terrified to focus. I didn't get a chance to talk to him though."

It had been entertaining, and telling Rin the story of the twins dunking his head under the water again and again until Akihiko had thrown himself into the pool in a whirling flurry of punches and insults had made him scoff. He leaned back in his seat on the bus, crossing his arms and trying not to smile. He promised that if anyone else tried to pick on Nitori like that he'd break their noses too.

"I miss him though. I haven't seen Aki since I left for school," he said it thoughtfully, already considering to ask him to come visit. He pictured fiery Akihiko squaring himself off with Sousuke and had to restrain another laugh. Even if he didn't come to the school itself, maybe he could be convinced to attend a swim meet.

"I imagine you do. They had to basically pull him away from you every day," Dayu grinned, looking up at the sky for a moment. "I'm surprised he didn't want to come here with you."

"He thought about it, but I think he wanted to go somewhere to really make his mark," Nitori sighed just a little, passing his fingers through his hair. "I should call him tonight and tell him I saw you."

Dayu chuckled at that, holding both hands up in front of him. "Please don't tell him how to find me. The arranged marriage thing sounds like the exact thing that would wind up with him showing up at my school and demanding a fight."

Nitori blinked, blushing as he was reminded that this wasn't just pleasant time spent with an old friend. Still, he laughed a little because in the end Dayu wasn't wrong. His short temper had always mixed with his strange urge to constantly step in and protect Nitori, despite being the younger sibling. 

"I think my roommate and Aki would make quite the pair," Nitori chuckled a little, thinking of Momo's boundless energy. "He's like that battery bunny in the commercials. He never stops."

Dayu nodded, looking down at the watch strapped to his wrist before standing with a stretch. "I guess I should go if I want to catch my train back."

Nitori blinked then nodded, rising as well and taking a step forward before Dayu could reach out and take his hand again. The wound past Sousuke, who to all the world seemed totally engrossed in his book. Nitori caught his gaze for a moment and didn't quite manage to smile. When they reached the gate again Dayu hesitated before leaning forward and pressing a quick, chaste kiss on Nitori's lips. His whole body went tense, and Dayu's smile when he pulled back with a shy smile.

"I'll see you soon then," he said, waving as he nearly sprinted away to the station. Nitori remained frozen in place, only thawing a little when he saw Sousuke approaching. It was still hard to read the alpha's often subtle expressions though Nitori judged him to be somewhere between worried and annoyed. He cast a glare at the gate as if it would reach Dayu before looking at Nitori with a sigh. He expected a scolding like the one he knew Sousuke had given Nanase; a reminder that he should cut things off with Rin before this all went badly.

"Nitori-kun," his tone was softer than Nitori had expected when he did speak. "I want you to know if you need someone you don't have to put on a brave face with you can come to me."

Nitori blinked in surprise, his shoulders relaxing at that. He frowned a little, scratching the back of his head. He wanted to say he didn't know what Sousuke meant, but in truth he was glad to hear it. He hadn't told anyone on the team other than Momo and Rin though he had expected Sousuke to know once Rin did. He had been trying to live his life as if nothing was different, but meeting his fiancee even if it was someone he already knew, was like having a spike driven straight through his heart. He clamped his hands into fists when he felt his fingers trembling.

"T-thank you, Yamazaki-senpai," he tried to pour his sincerity into those words, and his voice quivered. He almost cringed when Sousuke's arm draped over his shoulder, but he found the contact relaxing. His arm was warm from sitting out in the sun and Nitori closed his eyes for just a second.

"You don't wanna do it," it wasn't a question but Nitori nodded his head anyway, letting out a shaking breath.

"It's not what I want that's important," he smiled a little bitterly, looking down.

"Rin would cry if you told him that," Sousuke chuckled but it had the same edge as Nitori's smile. "I don't think he understands why you're doing it."

"I know. There are things my family expects of me," Nitori sighed and shook his head, blinking rapidly to try and ease the prickling of his eyes. "I can't let them down by saying no."

"Why?" Sousuke asked, and there was a genuine curiosity in his voice. He wasn't asking because he expected Nitori to find the strength to rebel, but because he actually wanted to understand.

"I'm the oldest son. I was supposed to be an alpha, to take over my father's company when he was ready to retire," his mouth twisted as he looked up at Sousuke, no longer trying to smile. "In his eyes I'm the worst thing I could have been. As a beta, I could've at least worked hard in the business. But I don't understand it all, so my job is to help him solidify an alliance by having an acceptable mate."

Sousuke shook his head, hesitating for a moment. "Not someone like Rin?"

"They.. wouldn't hate Rin. He's ambitious and tough and he's the person I want," he emphasized the last point. He didn't want Sousuke to think this was just a game to him. "But they wouldn't accept him."

Sousuke nodded, sighing and shaking his head just a little. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you two."

"S-sorry," Nitori mumbled. It was mostly out of reflex and it made Sousuke laugh just a little.

"You know I told him to do something about this. I didn't really meanhe should decide to court you and damn the consequences," he grinned a little, the corners of his mouth turned up with dark amusement. "I should have expected it though. It is exactly like him."

Nitori blushed just a little but chuckled. It was odd to think of Rin having feelings for him before this whole situation started. If he'd told Rin months ago that his parent's were trying to pick him a mate would things have been like this the whole time.

"I don't think I would've accepted," Nitori decided aloud, backtracking his thoughts when Sousuke looked confused. "If he'd said something before this. I would've told him no, or that I didn't feel the same way."

"Why say yes now then?" It wasn't an accusation, and Nitori was quickly coming to decide that Sousuke must view him as a real friend, rather than someone who might pose a threat to Rin's happiness. He knew the alpha could be fiercely protective and he would probably have crumbled under the weight of it.

"I want to be happy," Nitori's voice was weak, raw with truth flowing from his tongue. "I didn't want to give up on all of my dreams."

Sousuke shifted, pulling Nitori into a stiff hug. It was a surprise to be pressed to his muscular chest, his body too rigid to make it really comforting. Still, the effort was something that Nitori couldn't possibly overlook and he smiled.

"Alright. Go pull him out of the pool," Sousuke smiled as he let go, and Nitori was sure he caught the barest blush on his cheeks. "But if you really need to talk again, let me know. You can even cry."

Nitori laughed softly at the offer, nodding and bowing his head gently before almost jogging to the pool. He felt lighter than before; the weight of expectations was still strapped to his back, but it felt good to know he didn't have to always shoulder them all alone.

He jogged his way to the pool, anxiety setting fluttery and uncomfortable by the time he was standing at the starting blocks, gripping Rin's towel tightly with both hands and watching him swim.

Rin was in the center lane, halfway through a lap and at first unaware of Nitori watching him. He stopped at the far end of the pool, standing with his arms on the side and panting from the exertion. He took a deep breath then looked up with a smile on his face, looking over at Nitori before diving back into the water and swimming over to the side he was at. He paused, reading the note of panic on Nitori's face before hauling himself out of the pool in a smooth motion, letting Nitori hand him the towel with a tight smile.

"You okay?" He asked, lifting a dry hand to caress the swell of Nitori's cheek. The answer was obvious, and he sighed softly when the omega shook his head, trembles quivering down his spine. Rin draped the towel over his neck and pulled Nitori against his chest, feeling the fluttering of his eyelashes as his eyes closed, whimpering against Rin's bare skin. He leaned his forehead against Nitori's silver crown, rubbing one hand up and down his back, fitting them together like a puzzle finally completed. "Ssh, it's okay. I got ya'."

Nitori nodded and calmed as Rin held him, the warmth of his arms easing the anxiety that made Nitori's heart pound frantically against his ribs. He swallowed in the end, looking up with a shy smile but making no effort to move away from Rin. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Rin didn't ask how things had gone, wasn't sure that he really wanted to know. Instead, he tucked Nitori under his arm and walked towards the locker room, thumb stroking the side of his pale neck, tracing gentle circles there. "Did you see Sousuke?"

"Yes. He didn't look impressed," Nitori giggled at that, leaning his head on Rin's chest and smiling. "Did you tell him to camp out or was that his idea?"

"His idea. I said we should make Momo go with you," Rin laughed, kissing Nitori's forehead softly before letting go to get changed. He decided to forego a shower, pulling his clothes off and flashing Nitori a toothy grin as he leaned on a locker and watched. "See something you like?"

"Maybe something," Nitori responded, his tone coy and sweet. Rin laughed, raising his arms over his head and quirking an eyebrow, earning another giggle from Nitori at the display before turning to get dressed. As much fun fooling around in the locker room had been before, there was no promise that it would stay empty on a Saturday afternoon.

He didn't ask anything else, and Nitori didn't offer any more information until they were curled in his bed that night. Momo snored above him and Nitori leaned his face into Rin's chest, breathing quiet and slow like he was on the edge of sleep himself.

"I'll do it if you ask," Rin mumbled, not quite meaning to say the words out loud, but not planning on taking them back either. Nitori lifted his head and blinked his eyes softly, leaning his chin on Rin's shoulder.

"Do what?" He asked, tilting his head just a little and smiling softly. His pupils were still wide and heavy, a kind of sleepy arousal from Rin's over enthusiastic scent marking. He'd nuzzled and nipped at Nitori's scent glands, rubbing his wrists and bathing himself in how sweet and warm the omega smelled when he was happy. It had made Nitori purr underneath him, and when he spoke now his voice still had the throaty edge to it that made Rin's heart beat a little faster.

"Challenge him," Rin remained laying flat on his back, his fingers tracing the bumps of Nitori's spine, skin bare under his fingers. Nitori was quiet for a long moment before he laid his head back down, his eyes wide open now.

"I couldn't stop you," he said, in a way that sounded more like 'wouldn't'. Rin nodded, shifting to curl Nitori closer to him and breath against the soft silver of his hair.

"I just-" Rin hesitated, looking straight up at the other bed rather than down at Nitori's curious blue eyes. His voice was uncomfortably honest even as he curled his arms tighter around the omega. "I don't want this to be your way of trying to act out.”

Nitori blinked twice before shaking his head, laying a trail of ghostly kisses over the exposed skin of Rin's shoulder. “Rin...”

“I don't think that's what it is,” he chuckled quietly, looking upward still with a hard smile on his face. “And I know I started this whole mess, I can't really complain.”

“I'm doing this because it's what I want,” Nitori shook his head again, sitting up and sliding so his face was hovering in Rin's vision instead. He frowned and pressed a hand into the pillow on each side of Rin's head. “I wanted to take my chance at being happy.”

His cheeks flushed, lifting one of his hands and curling it into Rin's tank top just above his heart. He smiled just a little as he felt it thudding under his hand. “I wanna give those pieces of myself to you because you'll keep them safe.”

Rin's face was beet red, turning his head to the side quickly in a wasted attempt to try and hide it. He pulled Nitori flush with his chest again, helpless to stop the smile stretching his cheeks. “And Sousuke says I'm a sappy romantic.”

Nitori laughed softly at that, closing his eyes again and smiling until he finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we meet the man! I'm absolutely writing Nitori's brother into one of these chapters, because I already made myself love him.


	6. Chapter 6

It was after two more visits from Dayu that Nitori finally decided to tell his younger brother about the arrangement. He hadn't so much lied as simply, and deftly avoided the topic. It wasn't the easiest thing, the two talked on the phone at least twice a week. Still, reclining on his bed and listening to the phone ring Nitori took a deep breath to steady his confidence smiling still as Akihiko answered the phone.

"Yo. Nii-chan, what's up?" He sounded tired and Nitori figured he had probably just finished his own practice for the day. 

"Ah, well I had news I wanted to tell you," he scratched the back of his head. "I'm getting married."

Akihiko was silent for a beat, followed by the low rumble of him growling against his phone. "Please tell me this is about some crush you have at school."

"No. It was someone dad picked out," he hesitated for a second. "It's Watabe Dayu, you remember him?"

"The kid who was always writing stupid songs for you on the piano?" He snorted, the growling hadn't quite ceased yet. "Yes, I remember him."

"They weren't for me!" He protested, glad that Akihiko hadn't commented on the first part yet.

"Do you want me to come kick his ass then? I don't care what the old man said," he snorted at the phone. "He could've at least picked someone worth your time."

"No, I do not want you to fight with him. He's still scared of you," he smiled at the chuckle Akihiko gave at that, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I wish he hadn't picked at all."

"I know. I could fight him to if you want," he could hear the smile behind Akihiko's words. "I am coming to visit you though, even if I don't get to fight your stupid fiancee."

"I would really like it if you come visit and don't get into a fight with anyone," Nitori paused, taking another deep breath and hugging his pillow to his chest. "You can also meet Rin-senpai becauseweredatingnow."

The air on the other line went dead and for a feeling moment Nitori hoped it was because his brother didn't understand what he'd said, or even better was going to decide that it wasn't a big deal. The rumbling was back after a moment, louder this time. "What."

"We're dating now..." Nitori mumbled out, tugging the ends of his hair gently.

"The swim team guy?" He grunted, pausing and sighing out hard. "Yeah, I'm coming down this weekend. No arguing.”

"Aki... You cannot come visit just to argue with Rin-senpai," he sighed, pressing a hand over his eyes. He had predicted the conversation going exactly like this though Akihiko was hard to truly prepare for. He didn't request that he keep the knowledge to himself, already aware that any secret he told Akihiko was always safe.

"No arguing. I'll see you on Saturday Nii-chan," Nitori could swear he heard him smirking before he hung up. He flopped back on the bed with a long sigh, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes. Perhaps telling him both things at the same time was not the greatest idea Nitori had ever had.

A visit on Saturday really only left Nitori an afternoon to clean and hopefully prepare Rin for the confrontational attitude that Akihiko had possessed since they were children. Nitori had never minded so much; Akihiko respected him enough to listen and rarely did anything he didn't believe would protect Nitori. It was a little embarrassing to have his younger brother constantly stepping in to fight his battles or chase off bullies, but he'd long since accepted it for what it was. Still, the idea of Akihiko challenging Rin in defense of his honor wasn't appealing. 

Rin seemed mostly unaffected by the news when Nitori told him, in no small part because it was when the omega was curled naked on his chest, Rin's cock still pressed warm and half hard inside of him. Having sex with Nitori was always a strange reminder of his endurance; his ideas of 'recovery' and 'post-orgasm haze' extended to the amount of time it took for him to catch his breath after. Rin was still trying to piece his mind back together when Nitori told him offhandedly that his brother was coming for a visit.

Sitting on the bench near the gate that Nitori liked, Rin stretched his arm out and tugged the omega to his side, letting his head rest against Rin's shoulder. It was a nice change, usually he would sit carefully not touching him until Dayu showed up and glared at him until he left. Rin always lingered until the other alpha seemed truly annoyed before walking away with a friendly farewell to Nitori. Nitori shifted gently against him, giggling as he nuzzled just a little further into Rin's side.

"You're going to get in trouble," he cooed and Rin raised an eyebrow at that, drawing circles on Nitori's side with the tips of his fingers. Nitori's eyes flicked up and his cheeks flushed pink. Rin followed his gaze and tilted his head; the boy walking into the courtyard was taller than he expected, probably just as tall as Ryugazaki, with a sharp face and the same silver hair as Nitori. His eyes were steely gray, and the look he gave Rin's arm wrapped around his older brothers shoulders did look a little like trouble. He didn't have a concrete image in mind about what the omega's little brother should look like, but he was sure it wasn't the grim looking alpha with the scar on his forehead that he was seeing now. Still, Nitori bounded to his feet with a smile, accepting the hug that lifted him off the ground with only minimal struggling.

"A-Aki! Put me down please!" He giggled softly as he returned to his feet, giving his shoulder a little shove. He tried hard to pout but only broke into another smile. “You're late.”

Akihiko rolled his eyes a little at Nitori's disapproving tone, resting a hand on the back of his neck with a small shrug. Nitori counted it as an apology and gave him a little nudge forward toward Rin. “Play nice and I'll let you come to practice with me.”

"So this is who you're seeing?" Akihiko questioned with barely a glance at Rin. By the look on the omega's face it was not what counted as playing nice and with a sigh he turned to face Rin fully, unsmiling and appraising. "Akihiko Nitori."

Rin stood with a nod, giving the other alpha the same look he received. He had every ounce the hard presence that Sousuke gave off, and Rin supposed it would be intimidating if he weren't steeped in it every single day. There was no questioning his status though actually standing near him it was a little clearer how young he was. He was a little surprised Nitori had told his brother they were dating, despite the fact that they'd had no discussion to actually call it that. "Matsuoka Rin."

Akihiko was silent for a long moment, staring hard as Rin as if he could pull whatever ill-intention he might have for Nitori out with just his hard gray eyes. He sniffed a little, tilting his head before looking at Nitori with a sigh. "Play nice?"

"The nicest you've ever been," Nitori responded seriously and Rin raised an eyebrow at him. Nitori gave a little sigh, the one that fell out of his mouth every time Momo started to bound off the walls. "Aki firmly believes that my honor is in constant need of vigilant defense."

Rin would have laughed if the look of Akihiko didn't make it abundantly clear that he was speaking the truth. He nearly loomed over Nitori and Rin could only imagine what it would be like having him at practice. Still he rolled his shoulders and nodded, draping his arm over Nitori's shoulders in a way he'd become used to. He lifted his head as Akihiko growled lowly at the motion but didn't pull his arm away.

"This is the first weekend where I haven't had to split his attention Watabe," the words came out with more bite than he'd intended, but brother or not he didn't back down from challenges that direct. Nitori shook his head, pressing a gentle hand against Akihiko's arm and scrunching his eyebrows together in a way that was cuter than demanding of respect.

"Behave or I'll make you sleep in the hallway," it was a thin threat, but it made Akihiko sigh and ease his shoulders. He glanced at Rin with a final glare and a smirk that bared half his teeth. Rin ignored it this time, letting Nitori lean into his side as they walked back to the dorms. He had the feeling that Akihiko didn't make gestures he didn't plan to follow up on, and it was only annoying enough to make Rin want to continue to push his buttons rather than rise to the same level.

He was surprised when the alpha grabbed his arm when they reached Nitori's room, nodding his brother inside and crossing his arms when the omega turned to glare at him with all the force of his wide blue eyes. "Relax Nii-chan, I just wanna talk to him. Go get your bikini or whatever."

Nitori sighed, holding the glare for another moment before stepping into the room and closing the door all the way with a crisp click. Rin raised an eyebrow at Akihiko before turning and pushing the door to his own room open. He chuckled a little at the confused expression he got after glancing in to check for Sousuke, nodding him inside.

"If you talk to me here he'll just stand at the door and listen," he smirked a little as a cry of 'mean Senpai!' echoed from the other side of Nitori's door. Akihiko gave what was probably an entertained snort before walking in and leaning on Sousuke's desk as Rin shut the door. He looked around with a wrinkle in his nose, glancing at the top bunk for a second like the scent of Sousuke was a surprise. 

"I'm hoping you did actually mean talk and not use this moment to hit me," Rin shrugged, sitting down on his own bed and leaning his elbows on his knees. He kept his posture relaxed, trying to make it clear he was willing to listen and not particularly looking to fight Nitori's little brother within ten minutes of meeting him.

"You know about the marriage then?" He asked after a moment of thought and groaned just a little when Rin nodded. "And he told me two days ago."

"Really? I'd assumed you knew when it happened," he shrugged his shoulders. Admittedly he hadn't given it much thought though Nitori had really only told Momo and to almost everyone else in his life it was still a secret.

"Nope. I talk to him twice a week and he just now decided I should know," Akihiko sighed, his shoulders deflating as he ran a hand over his face. "Not that I'm surprised he didn't, I just wish I could've done something else to stop it."

Rin tilted his head a little at that, chewing the inside of his lip for a moment. It felt like an intrusion to ask the question that had formed on his tongue, but Nitori had kept his mouth firmly shut about anything regarding his impending mate and this might be the only chance to ask and get a real answer.

"Why's he doing it?" His voice burned as he asked, leaving his mouth feeling raw. Past his single offer to Nitori to challenge Dayu the second, he was asked he had left the choice of how to proceed entirely up to the omega.

"He thinks it's his job," Akihiko sighed hard, pulling the chair out and dropping himself down into it. "I take it he hasn't told you much more than it's happening."

"He doesn't really talk about himself," Rin sighed, rubbing a hand over his arm. He didn't like the feeling that he was going behind Nitori's back to find things out that he might not want to be shared.

"Nii-chan... He doesn't like to disappoint anyone," the alpha's face soured, staring at a single spot on the floor like it'd offended him. "And at home that's how he feels all the time, so he's doing what he thinks will make the old man proud."

"You don't think it will," it wasn't really a question but the way Akihiko's eyes snapped up before he nodded were a confirmation of their own.

"He's been trying since we were kids," Akihiko closed his eyes for a moment, passing a hand over his face. Rin could see the tremble in his fingers, his other hand clamped tightly around the leg of his pants. "Everything he does, he throws himself at it completely and that old bastard won't look twice at him."

"I take it you're not a fan," Rin chuckled a little darkly, raising an eyebrow as Akihiko's face twisted before he shook his head.

"I'm not. He wanted a pair of sons who were both big tough alpha's who hated each other just as much as he hates his brothers," he laughed softly, leaning his elbows back on the desk. "Instead he got me and Aiichirou. He's tried to drive a wedge between us as long as I can remember. Before I started school he told me if I didn't get my act together and study so I could inherit when he was ready he'd just marry Ai off to the person he thought was best suited for the job."

"Isn't that what he's doing?" Rin was surprised when Akihiko shook his head with a grimace.

"No, Watabe-kun's probably going to take over his family's company. That's why they picked him, so he can still say he kept his word with me," Akihiko grunted a little and Rin could easily read the fury that burnt in his eyes. "I'm just mad I was stupid enough to believe it'd give him a chance."

Rin was about to ask what that meant exactly when there was a soft tapping on the door. "Senpai! We're gonna be late."

He stood with a little grunt, pulling the door open and raising an eyebrow at Nitori standing with Momo attempting to boost himself over Nitori's back, apparently hungry for a glimpse of Nitori's brother as quickly as possible. He laughed at the sight, unable to help himself. He shifted out of the way enough to let Momo see, grinning at his exuberant waving. He nearly sent Nitori tumbling to the ground as he leaned even more of his weight on him.

"Momo-kun! I already said I would introduce you! Please calm down," he complained, sighing in relief as Momo finally took a step back. He gave Akihiko a pleading stare, stepping carefully out of his roommates path. "Please introduce yourself on the way to the pool. I can only wrangle him for so long."

Rin leaned around the doorway to grab his bag, chuckling as Momo endeavoring to shake Akihiko's hand clean off. He let them fall into step behind him, sliding his arm around Nitori's shoulders again. He would pull it away before they actually got to the locker rooms but for now he wanted to enjoy the omega's warmth while he could.

"Did you enjoy your talk Rin-senpai?" Nitori asked after casting a glance behind him to make sure his brother was fully occupied. Rin shook his head a little, pressing a small kiss to Nitori's temple.

"He didn't pick a fight or anything, I think he just wants to know you're okay," Rin sighed as Nitori frowned a little, nuzzling briefly at the edge of his hair. "He told me about your dad a little."

"R-really?" Nitori's cheeks flushed, looking down as he walked. Rin's chest constricted as Nitori looked back up at him with a pained smile, the urge to kiss the vulnerable edges of it rising in him. "I'm surprised."

Rin paused as they reached the door to the pool building, trying not to make it seem like a hesitation as he dropped his arm slowly. He leaned forward quickly, moving before he lost his nerve and letting his lips hover a few inches away from Nitori's ear. "You don't have to tell me anything. But I'm proud of you."

He stood quickly, willing the wild flushing of his cheeks to go down before he walked into the assured mockery of Sousuke. Nitori stood frozen, watching the door bang shut behind Rin before rounding on Momo with a tight smile.

"Momo-kun, you need to go get changed," it rang with more commanding than Nitori usually had and Momo tilted his head curiously. He gave Akihiko a friendly wave before trotting into the locker room, deciding to wait until later to question him. Nitori was glad that he and Momo had become closer in the last few weeks; despite being excitable and loud, Momo was developing a sense for times when he should take a step back. Akihiko stared at Nitori's face for a moment before shooting a hard glare at the door.

"What'd he say?" He asked, anger rushing in a hot undercurrent to his words. Nitori shook his head hard, swallowing around the developing mass in his throat.

"What did you say!" He nearly shouted, his voice trembling. He blinked several times, trying to ease the stinging behind his eyes and shook his head hard. 

"I-I just..." Akihiko hesitated, reaching a hand out and resting it on the back of Nitori's neck. Usually, the gesture was soothing but this time Nitori shook his brothers hand off, lifting his head to continue glaring up at him. "I just talked about you. And about Dad."

"W-why would you-" Nitori stopped, sucking in a deep breath before snapping his eyes closed. It was a gesture Akihiko recognized as Nitori fighting tears away, and they made his eyes shine when he opened them again. "Go ahead and take a seat inside. I need to get changed."

"Nii-chan," Akihiko sighed, scratching the back of his head and turning towards the large doors that led to the pool. "I'm sorry. I don't understand why you're upset."

"We can talk about it later," Nitori's voice was still trembling, and Akihiko cringed before nodding and walking through the doors.

Nitori was stiff the entirety of practice, and Rin noticed that while his times weren't bad, it was obvious something wasn't right with his swimming. He sighed a little, catching Sousuke's eye and nodding his head at Nitori's lane gently. Sousuke came to stand next to him with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"What'd you fuck up this time?" He sounded amused though his small smile faded at the serious concern on Rin's face.

"I dunno.. His brother is here and he was talking to me about Ai gets a bunch of shit at home and I just wanted him to feel a little better," Rin sighed hard, flicking his eyes over to where Akihiko sat watching Nitori swim with a heavy frown on his face. Sousuke blinked twice.

"I thought his brother was younger," he chuckled a little, not bothering to be subtle about his look over. 

"He is," Rin laughed, elbowing Sousuke a little. "And he's a hothead so quit staring."

"You two must get along great," Sousuke smirked as Rin looked away in offense.

"I haven't gotten in a single fight this year, thank you," he snapped though there was no bite to it. Sousuke sighed softly, leaning his arm on Rin's shoulder.

"He talked to me about it a little," he admitted, keeping his voice toned low. Rin's head snapped back around so fast it looked like it hurt, one eyebrow raised.

"About what?" His tone was demanding, but he couldn't help it. He didn't think he'd ever really seen Sousuke and Nitori have a long conversation, at least not one that would lead to Nitori being so open. "When?"

"When his fiancee came the first time.. I asked him why he was going through with it," Sousuke sighed, lifting his arm away and shaking his head. "He said he couldn't let down his family's expectations."

Rin nodded, running his fingers through his hair and groaning softly. "He'll tell you but not me?"

Sousuke shrugged his shoulders, pulling his goggles off his arm and walking back towards the pool, casting a nearly bored expression back at Rin. “I asked.”

Rin found his frustration only grew as practice continued, and by the end he was wound tighter than a highwire, glaring aimlessly down at his clipboard. He wasn't surprised when Akihiko left his seat at the end to pull Nitori out of the pool. The team was full of alpha's and if Nitori's little brother was willing to risk a confrontation over Rin putting an arm on his shoulders, a stranger manhandling a half-naked Nitori would only be worse. He didn't miss the tense moment between them when Nitori was drying his hair, Akihiko looking down at his shoes and saying nothing. 

Nitori gave him a glance and a half-hearted smile as he nodded his brother at the locker rooms, walking into shower and change before the team was finished cleaning up. It made Rin's heart sink a little further; Nitori was usually the last one in beside himself and if he was so eager to get out of the pool entirely... Rin sighed and contented himself with glaring at the side of Akihiko's head, deciding not to let up when he noticed and glared straight back. His stride was too easy to really be called storming over, but his face had enough cloud cover to justify the description.

"Ai's mad at me," he grumbled. That wasn't the answer Rin was really expecting and he sighed a little in relief.

"I guess he didn't want me to know," Rin glanced away at that, rubbing the back of his neck. "He talked to Sousuke too."

He paused at Akihiko's confused expression before nodding at Sousuke's back, his head bent close to Minami's in conversation. "My roommate. Yamazaki Sousuke."

"I didn't know mountains talked," Akihiko responded with a laugh. Rin chuckled as well, shrugging his shoulders and grinning. 

"He is on the quiet side," Rin shook his head, a smile still tugging the corners of his lips upward. "I got the feeling Ai told Sousuke more than he shared with me. I just wish he trusted me more."

Akihiko laughed again at that and Rin found himself with the mild urge to throttle the younger alpha. 

"It's not trust," Akihiko shook his head with a sigh. "Ai thinks sharing will make him look weak. Your ten ton friend probably scared it out of him."

Rin shrugged but didn't answer, nodding at the last of the team trailing their way into the locker room. "He's probably finished changing."

He turned to do so himself, glancing at the slump in Akihiko's shoulders as he walked out. He couldn't recall ever seeing Nitori angry and wondered if it was really scary enough to bother someone as cocky as his brother.

Nitori, despite being a little curious as to where in the world Akihiko could have gone, decided not to go looking for him. He could only cause so much trouble, and outside of him attempting to drown Rin in the pool most of it was preferable to facing his questions. He didn't want his little brother to feel bad, but he also didn't really want him describing their entire home life at school. Especially to Rin.

Still, he leaned by the outside of the doors, thudding his head back against the brick wall several times. He would have to actually ask what Akihiko had shared, and probably fill in whatever questions it had left Rin with. He grimaced, curling his arms around his chest. He didn't mind telling Rin about his family, not really. But it only led to other subjects that he wasn't ready to share yet. Like telling Rin that he wasn't going to be a teacher... He wasn't going to be anything. It had always seemed like a faraway thought before he'd met Rin. His life had been structured so that his dreams were really just that, they were what he would picture for himself during quiet moments and keep locked away in his heart. It was Rin who made them seem like they were really possible; they way his eyes burned with an untamable passion every time he discussed his dream. It was real to Rin, and even if Nitori didn't understand why, it was important to Rin that he have one too.

Akihiko walked out of the pool area with a sheepish look on his face. He sighed as he saw Nitori, pausing and looking down at his shoes in a way that made him look like a kid again. "Sorry, I blabbed to your boyfriend."

"It's okay Aki. I'm sorry I got upset with you," he stood with a smile, glancing at the door of the locker room before turning to walk back to the dorms. Usually, he insisted that Rin walk with him, but at the moment it seemed like he needed the moment to talk. "I haven't told Rin much because it'll make him... Upset."

"You'd think the whole getting married thing would've killed it already. Why would he bail because Dad's a dick?" Akihiko's brow furrowed in confusion more than concern. Nitori shook his head with a sigh and a wistful sort of smile.

"Not that kind of upset. Rin's very empathetic... If I tell him I can't go to college or become a teacher because I don't want my father to hate me for being an omega it'll break his heart," he explained, pushing his hands into his pockets and curling them into tight fists. "Besides, we didn't start dating until after the getting married thing."

"Wait, you told him you were engaged and then he decided to ask you out?" Akihiko deadpanned, frowning intently. "What an idiot."

"What does that make me for saying yes?" Nitori's tone was teasing and Akihiko rolled his eyes, lifting a reluctant hand before setting it on the back of Nitori's neck once again. This time the familiar gesture made Nitori smile. He had never been entirely sure where Akihiko had picked it up, but even now it made him feel warm and protected. "Did you remember to tell him you'd beat him up if he made me unhappy?"

Akihiko laughed and shook his head. "I didn't. I must be losing my touch."

Nitori giggled, shrugging his shoulders and looking down with a little sigh, clutching his fists tighter in his pockets. "I think I love him, Aki."

"I figured," Akihiko sighed, using his gentle hold on Nitori's neck to tug him into a hug. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"I-I don't know," he shook his head, nuzzling against Akihiko's chest and closing his eyes tightly. "Nothing. I'm not gonna tell him."

"Nii-chan..." He sighed, tilting Nitori's face up to look at him, shaking his head. "Just tell Dad you won't do it. Let him pick a fight with Watabe. You don't have to just do as you're told!"

Fire burned in Akihiko's eyes, he took a step back and snorted hard, shoving his fingers back through his short hair. "Fuck, I'll do it if you want! It's your life, you don't have to leave it up to that old bastard."

"Aki, please," he shook his head, wiping at his eyes quickly with a weak smile. It trembled as he tried to hold it. "It's okay. You know dad wouldn't accept somebody like Rin."

"Fuck what he'll accept!" Akihiko growled, scent filling the air with a hot and powerful electricity. "You can't let him control your whole life like this! What do you think you're going to get out of it? Do you think you're gonna come to dinner on the weekends with Watabe's mark on you and he'll tell you he's proud?"

Nitori's face fell all at once, shoulders slumping inwards as he looked away from Akihiko. He didn't respond for a moment, not leaving enough time for his younger brother to see the tremor working through his shoulders. "M-maybe he will."

"Because every other time you've just done what you're told he's been proud too, right?" Akihiko spat out, shaking his head roughly. It was then he noticed the way Nitori's posture curled in on itself, shaking just slightly, refusing to look up at him once he finished speaking. "Shit, I don't mean-"

He reached a hand forward, stopping dead as Nitori took a step back from him, head snapping up with tears rolling down his cheeks. He dropped his hands out of his pockets but couldn't force himself to stand straight, the aura of the alpha's anger forcing him to lean forward submissively. "S-shut up Aki!"

Akihiko dropped his hand, nodding and swallowing hard, trying to ease his anger. Nitori could feel the force of it easing by degrees and he lifted his head after a moment, roughly wiping tears away. He backed away again as Akihiko moved, biting down on his lip and shaking his head hard, still trying to clear his eyes.

"I know. I know what he thinks of me," he sighed hard, forcing his shoulders back now. "I can prove him wrong if I keep trying."

"It's not worth it Ai," Akihiko sighed, pushing his hands into his pockets and looking down. "Making him proud isn't gonna be better than actually having someone who cares about you."

Nitori sighed, looking away determinedly and shutting his eyes tightly. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore, Aki."

"Nii-chan you can't just-" he stopped himself this time, shaking his head and snorting hard. "Fine. Whatever."

They walked the rest of the way back to the dorm in chilly silence, Nitori pausing every so often to swipe at his eyes. He nodded Akihiko to the spare futon he'd borrowed from the school, sitting on his own bed with a small sigh.

"I'll order us some take-out for dinner," there was almost a smile on his face. He cursed himself a little for never being able to really hold grudges, but he knew Akihiko only fought him so hard on it because he cared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternate title for this fic is Fuck Was I, inspired by this excellent song; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37Zn3cjNu58


	7. Chapter 7

Rin wound up keeping his questions to himself following the departure of Nitori's brother. Sousuke's assertion that he should just ask stuck in the front of his mind, even as Nitori pulled away from kissing him to answer his phone with a grimace.

"D-Dayu-kun, I didn't expect to hear from you today," his nose wrinkled as he spoke and Rin sighed just a little, shifting Nitori in his lap so he could lean his head on the omega's collarbone and listen in on the conversation. He let his eyes eased closed as Nitori's other hand came to stroke through his hair.

"You have your first competition this weekend, don't you? I was hoping to come see it," he sounded happy and Rin's hands tightened on Nitori's hips without thinking about it. It was only getting more grating to have to accept sharing Nitori, even if he couldn't help himself from falling even further into... Rin shook his head a little, trying to clear the thought away rather than trying to tell Nitori to say no. He must've thought it was the latter, because he looked down at Rin with a frown, still carding his fingers through the alpha's hair.

"A-ah, we do. It's really a minor one though, I don't know if you'd find it any fun," Nitori shrugged his shoulders, nuzzling the top of Rin's head gently. "I only swim in one event and I'll have to spend the whole day cheering the team on and helping keep them organized."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to come if it would be a bother to you," these were the moments that made Rin decide he hated Nitori's fiancee. Every time he called to ask Nitori about his weekend plans he had a way of insinuating Nitori was doing something wrong by being busy. He wanted to snatch the phone away and tell him that he could just fuck off for good, thank you very much. Instead, he lifted his hands off Nitori's hips and hugged them around his back instead, trying to breathe deeply and calm himself down a little.

"It wouldn't be a bother at all!" Nitori's voice squeaked a little at his hurried insistence, tension pulling taut in his muscles even as Rin tried to ease it away again. "I just wouldn't want you to feel like you'd wasted your weekend."

"Ah, I'm sure you and I can find a way to make it worthwhile," Rin pressed his face against Nitori's chest to muffle the sound of his annoyed growl. He tuned out of Nitori giving Dayu the details of the meet, instead sliding his hands under the omega's shirt and drawing patterns on his skin. It wasn't until he realized he'd spent most of the conversation idly tracing hearts onto Nitori's back that he dropped his hands, hoping Nitori didn't notice the tips of his ears going bright red in embarrassment. He hung the phone up with a groan, slumping against Rin and shaking his head.

"Sorry Rin," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of the alpha's ear that only made him blush further. He shrugged, sighing and hugging Nitori close against him, leaving soft kisses in a trail over his neck. Something distant in his mind tried to remind him that it didn't have to be like this; he could just sink his teeth in and deal with anyone who had a problem with it personally. He pulled away a little sharply at the thought, fingers digging a little harder into Nitori's back.

"It's alright," it came out as a grumble and he was glad when the omega didn't scold him for being childish. He sighed, laying back on the bed and pulling Nitori with him, closing his eyes and nuzzling at the underside of his chin again, teasing along the scent glands hidden under the skin. "How long until Momo-kun comes back?"

"Probably an hour," Nitori shrugged, curling into Rin's arms with a contented sound. Rin nodded, creaking his eyes open with a crooked smile.

"You know you just have to ask, right?" He mumbled, pausing at the confusion on Nitori's face. He wasn't sure what he was offering specifically; to challenge Dayu or to mark the omega as his own. Instead he shrugged a little, turning his face to the side. "I'll give you whatever you want."

He didn't have to look up to know the way Nitori's face softened. He left a warm kiss on the side of Rin's cheek before resting his forehead there and closing his eyes with a small nod. Rin smoothed his hands up and down Nitori's back for a long moment, listening to his easy breathing.

"Are you gonna be okay to swim with him there?" He asked. Nitori didn't lift his head right away and Rin didn't stop stroking his back. "You panic every time he's around."

"I dunno," he answered finally, voice trembling a little. Rin sighed, rolling them to the side so he could cage his arms around Nitori, kissing his lips as soon as they were settled together once again. "I just... I feel like I'm caught in a trap. But I'll have you and Sousuke there when you're not swimming, maybe it'll be better."

Rin snorted softly, brushing his thumb over the swell of Nitori's cheekbone. He got jumpy whenever his fiancee even called, and race performance aside Rin didn't know how he'd handle an entire day bundled next to Nitori's fear. He wasn't sure if Sousuke could sense it as much as he could, but Nitori had been nearly hyperventilating the last time Dayu had jammed his tongue into his mouth before leaving and he knew Sousuke had not been happy about it at all.

Rin growled lowly at the thought, pressing his head forward to rest on the center of Nitori's chest, closing his eyes. "I don't like it."

"It'll be okay, I'm sure," Nitori smiled and Rin wondered how he'd wound up the one being comforted. With a sigh mostly directed at himself, he lifted his head and kissed Nitori again, deciding he should make the most of Momo's late tutoring on Tuesday nights rather than spending the whole time pouting.  
~  
Saturday morning did not find Rin less inclined to pouting when he had to start it out by loading a frazzled and obviously sleep-deprived Nitori onto the team bus. He was late and ended up in the seat next to Rin for the ride there after realizing that almost all the rest had been taken by more punctual team members. Even Momo had beaten him by several minutes, looking around confused when Rin had asked where he was, explaining that he and Nitori had left the room at the same time.

Rin let Nitori doze on his shoulder with a smile, unzipping the bag resting on the omega's lap to double check that he hadn't forgotten anything. He wrinkled his nose at the way all his things were stuffed messily inside, doing his best to rearrange them into some semblance of order without shifting his shoulder too much. He zipped it again once he was satisfied, shooting a glare at Sousuke when he raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Way to look out for the team, Captain," he mumbled, grinning as Rin settled back into the seat with a little snort. He could bark something back at Sousuke, but that risked him getting annoyed and rowdy enough to actually disturb Nitori's sleep and from the look of things he hadn't gotten much to begin with. He did manage to tamp down the urge to play with his hair or do anything else that would cause him to die of embarrassment if anyone caught him, instead staring out the window with a determined expression on his face that was entirely for the upcoming race and not at all because he couldn't cuddle Nitori without looking like a marshmallow.

All things considered, he and Nitori were a horribly kept secret to begin with and Rin cuddling the omega in a crowded bus would probably come as a surprise to very few people. Nitori's head lolled from balancing on his shoulder to resting on his chest and after a quick glance around Rin shifted his hand to rest on top of Nitori's. He was pretty sure no one noticed, and when the bus stopped he gave his shoulder a gentle roll and squeezed Nitori's hand, trying his hardest not to smile at the cute whimper that signalled Nitori waking up.

"S-senpai?" He asked, looking down at their interlocked hands after yawning widely. He blushed a little as Rin pulled his back, fingers lingering for an extra moment. "D-did I fall asleep on you? I'm sorry."

His voice was fuzzy with tiredness and Rin just shrugged, tilting his head and doing his best to look stern. "I thought I told you to make sure you got plenty of rest."

Nitori giggled softly, wiggling out of the seat once there was enough space for him to follow the rest of the team off of the bus. Rin stood behind him, taking the chance to press just a little too close to his back, grunting a little as the omega dug his phone out of his bag without even noticing it's suddenly organized state. Once the whole team had disembarked Rin had to walk at the head of the group to check them in, leaving Nitori who was slowed by his preoccupation with his phone somewhere in the middle of the group. He did glance back once to make sure he wasn't trailing too far away; they'd had an issue the previous year with alpha's from other academies bothering Nitori and the third-year omega that had been on the team, leading to strict orders from Sejiuurou to make sure that they never got separated.

Momo was already clung to Sousuke's side, not that Rin frequently worried much about him. Despite his status he certainly never acted like an omega and wasn't one that would be easy to take any kind of advantage of. It was after he had checked the team in and gotten them settled in their section of the bleachers, said hello to Gou and the rest of the Iwatobi team and done his best to rile Haru about their race later that Nitori's fiancee showed up. It was still before any of the events began, meaning that Rin couldn't really define him as being late. Still, his expression soured when he saw him wandering a little aimlessly at the bottom of the bleachers, looking around as if he wasn't sure where to go. He considered leaving him there like that and adopting a seat next to Nitori to actually enjoy the competition but huffed a sigh when Dayu actually noticed him.

"Ah, Matsuoka-san. I'm glad to see you're here already," he didn't sound anywhere near glad to see Rin, speaking almost through his teeth as Rin turned to face him. Rin shrugged his shoulders and nodded, chuckling softly.

"We tend to get here pretty early, I've got at least twenty people to keep track of for the day," and people who disrupted his mate's focus were not supposed to be one of them. Rin stopped dead at the thought, clenching a fist in his pocket at the realization he'd let himself consider Nitori his mate. "C'mon, I can show you where we're sitting."

"Very good," he agreed, falling into step behind Rin with a glare that he could feel boring into his back. He raised an eyebrow at Sousuke sitting in the row behind Nitori but was distracted by a beefy arm flung over his shoulders with just a little too much force.

"Matsuoka-kun! I'm glad to see you didn't leave your team behind!" Sejiuurou grinned down at him, his arm constricting around his neck with more force than he probably intended it too. Rin shoved at his side with a grunt, rolling his eyes.

"I had to go see my sister," he responded, cursing himself for it almost instantly. Sejiuurou's eyes lit up as he looked around frantically, nearly slamming into Dayu who was trying to step around him. 

"Gou-kun is here?" He asked, sounding way too excited about something so obvious. Rin rolled his eyes, teeth gritting together as Dayu managed to shove himself into the small space between Momo and Nitori. At the very least he would spend his whole afternoon crushed by Momo's disregard for personal space. He waved at Sejiuurou who had apparently already lost interest in critiquing his performance as a captain to sit next to Sousuke. It wasn't a bad spot, he could glare at the back of Dayu's head and roll his eyes every time the alpha said something annoying and pompous. The view of him clutching to Nitori's closed hand like it was full of diamonds was something he could've done without.

He could already feel the tense strand of anxiety that made Nitori sit uncomfortably straight in his seat, nodding blindly along with Dayu's description of how hard the team was to find. Of course, there was only a huge group of them. All wearing the same jackets. With a banner that read 'Go go Samezuka!' hung from the railing. Really, it must've been like looking for the fountain of youth. 

Rin leaned a little of his weight on Sousuke's side, flicking his eyes over the itinerary that he'd passed off when he'd gone to talk to Gou. His first race was later in the day than usual, Nitori would actually be up to swim his 500m before Rin even changed into his suit. Sousuke flicked the side of his head with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you seeing if you can set it on fire with your mind?" He grinned, glancing at Dayu with a minute nod. "Practicing to get rid of your competition I take it."

Anywhere else he probably would've thumped Sousuke in the arm for bringing up the phase in which Rin really, truly believed he could set people on fire if he just glared at them hard enough. The idea was too tempting to turn down at the moment and instead he just grinned. "Good thing I don't mind a challenge I guess."

Sousuke chuckled a little, nodding and giving Rin a little shove with his shoulder, his voice dropping just a little lower. "I'm sure you'll win this one, I wouldn't worry."

Rin appreciated the confidence, giving Minami a nod as he started passing out megaphones. Rin stood, looking down at the group and calling for the first swimmers to go and get changed and ready, sitting back down as they walked off with their bags, looking unruffled.

Usually, Rin would lean back and relax at this point, letting his nerve ease before Sejiuurou started leading cheers. He was sure the big idiot would be doing it, even if he wasn't even on the team anymore. But the nerves radiating off Nitori made it impossible to ease the tension from his body and the competition seemed to pass around him in a blur. Nitori stumbled to his feet when he realized his race was approaching, cheeks flushed as he caught Rin's eyes before bounding down the steps towards the locker rooms.

He nearly tripped again at the bottom and Rin passed his clipboard to Sousuke with a groan. He'd run off without even asking someone to go with him. Rin sighed, trying to make it seem like chasing after Nitori was a huge inconvenience to his day, managing to catch his arm just before he turned into the locker room. He jumped nearly out of his skin, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up so far that Rin was fairly sure he could see them. Nitori turned to him with a sheepish smile, Rin's fingers still holding loosely to his arm.

"S-senpai! You startled me," he bit down on his lip, letting Rin propel him inside with a shake of his head. "S-sorry, I kinda ran off didn't I?"

"You know you're supposed to bring someone with you when we're at tournaments," Rin sighed softly, glancing to make sure the area was at least mostly empty before kissing Nitori softly. "I know you're freaked out, but you need to be careful here."

"I didn't think, sorry Rin," he mumbled, mouth still pressed to Rin's. He pulled back reluctantly, digging his swimsuit out of his bag and turning to get changed. Rin leaned his shoulders against the lockers and pretended not to watch him undress, smiling just a little.

"Just do your best, okay?" Rin prompted once he had his suit on. Nitori scratched his head, gripping his cap and goggles just a little too tightly in his fist. Rin hesitated before leaning forward and wrapping his arms tightly around Nitori's shoulders, nuzzling the top of his head. "Don't think about him here watching. Focus on your energy, you'll do great."

Rin flashed a smirk as he finished speaking, giving Nitori's hair a ruffle and turning to leave. He was surprised when the omega's arms wrapped tightly around his waist from behind, Nitori's face pressing into his back for a quick second before he let go, jogging out to the pool. Rin shook his head with a gentle smile, walking back up the bleachers with it still on his face. Dayu's head snapped up as he brushed past and Rin realized he probably smelled more like Nitori than he had before but settled on not caring.

The race before Nitori's was just finishing as he took his seat, Sousuke handing his clipboard back with a roll of his eyes. Rin glanced down at it, grimacing at Uozumi's time but leaving it to be dealt with later as well. Right now he wanted just to focus on cheering Nitori on; not on his annoying fiancee or the rest of the team or the feelings that nagged at the back of his mind. He let all of it slide away, cheering far louder than usual for the entire time Nitori was in the water. His performance was good, he paced himself as well in competition as he did in practice and with his burst at the end he was able to pull himself into second place and qualify to move on. 

Rin restrained himself from leaping out of his seat when Nitori's hand slapped against the edge of the pool, settling instead for grinning like a madman. He nodded once to Sousuke who stood and trotted down the steps to go play escort. He was surprised when Dayu looked back at him for the first time once Sousuke was out of sight, a sneer on his face.

"I suppose you think you're quite clever with all of that," he snorted, turned halfway around in the seat to look up at Rin with a glare. Rin raised an eyebrow, shrugging and looking back down at where Nitori was padding into the locker room.

"We've had trouble with people bothering omega's if they're left alone. We try and avoid it if we can," he explained, leaning his elbows on his knees so his face hovered a little closer to Dayu's, both eyebrows raised. "Is that a problem?"

"I think you're aware of what the problem is Matsuoka-san," he sniffed, shifting back just a little as Rin leaned forward. Despite the stuffy tone, he couldn't entirely cover being intimidated by Rin. Rin shook his head with a smirk, tilting his head with feigned innocence.

“Please enlighten me,” it was almost a growl when he spoke, staying leaned forward with all of his teeth on display.

“It would be greatly appreciated,” Dayu snorted, fingers gripping tight around the seat. “If you would leave my property be.”

Rin did growl at that, anger coiling from the center of his stomach to his limbs. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at that. “Call him your property again and I promise it won't be your business anymore.”

“As if you're not thinking the same thing,” he rolled his eyes a little, quirking an eyebrow. Rin shook his head with a low chuckle, keeping his posture the same as he saw Sousuke at the bottom of the steps.

“Trust me, of all the things I think of Ai, property isn't one of them,” he glanced up at Nitori with something like imploring. He considered challenging him anyway, but it wouldn't be worth anything if it wasn't what the omega wanted. He sat up with a sigh, shaking his head. “He's the only reason you're not picking your teeth up off the ground.”

Dayu stood halfway but dropped back to his seat when Sousuke stared down at him, his eyes hard and face chiseled into a frown. Nitori stared between the two for a moment, his eyes lingering on Rin when he stood with a grin, laying his hand on the omega's shoulder.

“Good job Ai,” he smiled, squeezing a little before sitting back down. Dayu's hand wrapped a little too tightly around Nitori's wrist, jerking him roughly back into the seat. Ignoring the omega's confused squeak Dayu turned his head with a growl that was clipped short by him mashing his lips against Nitori's with enough force that it made the omega lean into Iwashimizu. He whined in surprise, his hand lifting and pressing against Dayu's chest, though rather than curling his fingers into the alpha's shirt as he frequently did when leaning on his toes to kiss Rin he was trying to push away, blinking rapidly.

It was at that point that the reasonable voice in Rin's head went dead silent. His body lurched forward without his mind ordering it to move only to be stopped by Sousuke's arm thrust in front of his chest. There was an uncomfortable wave of tension that flowed through the team, starting with Iwashimizu glaring intently over Nitori's head at his fiancee, several other swimmers seated nearby adopting the same expression. 

Sousuke left his hand pressed against Rin's chest with enough pressure so it wasn't forgotten, his face looking as if it had been carved out of stone. Rin knew him well enough to know that the twitch of his lip and single tremor of his hand were signs of his well suppressed rage and he settled himself back in the seat with a harsh breath. His eyes stayed on Nitori, looking for any indication that he should do something.

Nitori seemed to be looking anywhere but him, even when Rin stood to change for his race he was silent, staring straight ahead. Rin was glad that the chlorine from the pool and the press of people all around them made the omega's scent hard for him to pick out. He didn't need the distraction of Nitori's fear charging through his veins while he was preparing for a race. 

He rarely felt nervous at all stepping up to the starting blocks anymore, though he always makes sure to flash Haru a cocky grin because he's really the only person Rin feels like he's racing against. He grinned just the same, even if the thudding of his heartbeat sounded far too distant to his own ears. Like it wasn't beating inside of his chest anymore but was instead sitting up with the team, curled tight in Nitori's hand. The thought made his smile just a little softer, less arrogance and more genuine affection that didn't wash away when the cool water of the pool enveloped him.

Racing always seemed to stretch forever and be over in a second at the same time. There was of course the objective measure of time that told Rin how long he'd been swimming and how far ahead of other swimmers he finished, But the way he measured it was different, chasing through the water with only the barest awareness of seconds ticking by in perfect order. 

It was almost a surprise to hit the end of the race, both palms pressed against the wall and panting for air. He'd beat Haru but just barely, little more than the extra length of his arm to seal the win. Still he laughed and hauled himself out of the water, tapping his fist against Haru's arm in a way that made the omega roll his eyes and look away to cover his smile. Rin was a little surprised when Haru fell into step behind him back to the locker rooms, even his footsteps eerily quiet.

"Did you get a new team member or something?" He asked, not sounding the least bit interested in what the answer actually was. Rin cringed a little, shrugging his shoulders and tucking his cap into his bag.

"No, he's," he hesitated, glancing at Haru with a huffed out sigh. It wasn't really that Nitori getting engaged was a secret, especially not after today. "He's Ai's fiancee."

The words felt hot and sour in his mouth and this time Rin stared directly at the locker ahead of him rather than looking at Haru. He could only last so long under the withering silence that rolled off the omega and he turned back to him with a roll of his eyes. "What?"

Haru shrugged his shoulders, one eyebrow arched perfectly. "It's not really a normal thing is it? Dating someone who's already engaged?"

"S-shut up," Rin grumbled, pushing his fingers back through his damp hair. "I dunno, I guess I didn't really think about it."

"What're you going to do?" He could've been asking about the weather for all the interest in his voice, but Rin knew him better than that. Haru didn't do small talk and if he was asking it meant he was genuinely interested. Or just entertained by the mess Rin had gotten himself into, it was really a toss up with him.

"I dunno, I haven't really thought about that either," it wasn't entirely true. There were several scenarios that Rin had played in his head over and over since he'd kissed Nitori rather than just letting go. But none of them were really an answer. "He doesn't wanna go through with it but he doesn't wanna let his family down by saying no."

Haru hummed softly and Rin raised an eyebrow as the omega brushed his thumb against the dark red mark on the side of his neck while pulling his shirt on. He rolled his eyes at that, shaking his head and sticking his tongue out a little. "Not everyone has it as easy as soul-bonding with someone you met literally when you were born."

There's more bite to his tone than Rin intended, but Haru didn't show much reaction to it. Instead, he turned back to changing, the line of his shoulders easy and relaxed. "Is he nice?"

"Fuck no," Rin snorted. He was fairly sure that would be true regardless of the situation, he hasn't been able to find anything about Dayu that he doesn't dislike. His voice dropped further into growling as he spoke again. "He calls Ai his fucking property one more time and I'm gonna snap."

Haru looked honestly sympathetic to hear it and for a moment Rin reflected that Makoto was probably actually starting to rub off on him just a little. Or the years have just made Rin better at reading the subtle signs that have always been there, just hidden away under layers of tension and rivalry. It's hard to be entirely sure. Rin sighed, zipping his bag up sharply and rubbing the palms of his hands against his eyes for a moment.

"Now I get to sit around for the afternoon and watch Ai get felt up and not say anything," Rin shook his head at the thought, dropping his hands away from his face to curl them into fists. If he wasn't captain he wouldn't go back at all, but he can't exactly bail and leave Sousuke to try and wrangle a team full of people whose names he can't even remember. Especially with Sousuke's often hilarious lack of directional sense.

But he couldn't; instead he had to go sit and cheer on his team and offer grins and advice to whoever was still nervy and pretend that he wasn't caught between starting a fight every time Dayu touched Nitori and storming off entirely just to give himself some space to fume his rage out. He pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder and gave Haru a nod and half-hearted wave, catching the omega's acknowledging hum as he walked away. Rin felt exactly 0% better when he took his seat next to Sousuke again, glad the rest of the day unfolded with him needing to do little more than note down numbers and roll his eyes at the Mikoshiba brothers at every given opportunity. 

Even their energy started to peter out by the end of the day, and while he was shepherding the team back to the bus, pointedly ignoring the way Nitori had to lag behind to say his goodbye's he was surprised by Sejiuurou appearing at his side with a surprisingly tight expression. It wasn't that he'd never seen the former captain looking serious, it was just so offset by his usual attitude that it was hard to remember what he looked like with that hard shine in his eyes.

"I wouldn't invite Nitori-kun's mate along again. He made the whole team tense," Rin doesn't respond right away to the quiet words, the word 'mate' applied to such a fucked relationship was making him feel like he was slowly being eaten alive. He shrugged his shoulders with a little snort, shaking his head.

"He invited himself. If it were up to me he'd already be gone for good," Rin cast the first glance back at Nitori he'd allowed himself, deciding it was a mistake almost as soon as he did. Nitori was taking a measured step away from the alpha, cheeks red with an uncomfortable smile on his face. Nitori's wide eyes lifted for a second like he could feel Rin looking at him, and when he did catch the alpha's gaze whined from the back of his throat, raw and plaintiff. Rin raised an eyebrow, turning away from Sejiuurou with a hard look on his face.

His hand wrapped tight around Dayu's shoulder, wrenching him around so they were facing one another. He shook his head once, lip curling over his teeth in a gruesome imitation of smiling. "You can go home now."

"Excuse you, Matsuoka-san. I'm having an important discussion with my omega here," there was an emphasis on the word 'my' that made Rin's hands ball into fists so tight that he could feel the crescent indentations of his nails biting into his skin. He gave Dayu the barest of shoves back, putting another half-step of distance between him and Nitori. He ignored the expression on the other alpha's face entirely, looking down at Nitori instead.

"Tell me yes or no," his voice was quieter when he addressed Nitori. Anger burned a hot current under his words and for a moment Nitori's face crashed into a frown so abruptly that Rin's chest actually hurt to see it. Nitori nodded his head again, shrinking back a little further. Rin wasn't surprised to see that; the nod was all he needed to turn and crash his fist into Dayu's cheek so hard it knocked him flat onto his back. It was satisfying to see him sprawled on the ground, blinking in wild bewilderment. 

"Leave. You two are done," Rin couldn't bring his voice above a snarl, wasn't sure he wanted to. He wasn't scared to fight however hard he needed to for Nitori, and if he had to make good on the threat of leaving Dayu picking his teeth off the ground he wouldn't hesitate. And so when Dayu picked himself up off the ground with a matching growl and a glare settled on his face, Rin was pretty sure he should have just stayed laying down. 

He was not an athlete and it was obvious from the first weak punch he tried to throw that he doesn't have the kind of muscle it would take for him to win. He still tried, shuffling a step back like he thought trying to kick Rin would work better and winding up on the flat of his back after Rin grabbed hold of his ankle and threw his weight forward into it.

When Dayu finally decided to stay down it was with a broken wrist and a terrified look burning on his face. Instinct pushed Rin to keep fighting, pushing his foot down on the center of Dayu's chest with a snarl that reverberated through the air dangerously. Strong hands came to rest on either of his shoulders and Rin almost snapped at the person behind him before realizing it was Sousuke tugging him backward a step with a face carved out of stone. Rin didn't shrug his hold off, instead breathing air deep into his lungs to try and calm himself and giving Sousuke a nod to hopefully tell him that he wasn't going to go nuts on anybody else.

The message must have been clear enough because Sousuke let go with a minute squeeze, glancing at Sejiuurou ordering people back onto the bus with his loudest captain voice. Rin turned halfway back to the bus before Nitori's slender arms wrapped tight around his waist, the omega flung himself forward with enough force that Rin stumbled a little. He was almost surprised by his own laughter, rubbing his hand in soothing circles between Nitori's shoulder blades. He rocked him back and forth he leaned down to press his face against the crown of his silver head, smiling against it.

"Hey, deep breath. It's okay," Rin smiled as Nitori nodded his head. It took a long moment for Nitori's trembling to calm, still breathing harsh puffs in and out against the fabric of Rin's jacket. Rin gave him a gentle nudge toward the bus, keeping his hand on the omega's back and letting him walk ahead, tossing one murderous glare over his shoulder. Dayu had picked himself off the ground and actually bowed his head. Rin didn't pause to enjoy the satisfaction that gave him, sliding Nitori into a seat next to the window and ignoring Momo and Sousuke both staring at him. Instead, he rubbed his hand up and down Nitori's back, letting him curl up in the seat with his head on the alpha's chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and with him pressed so close Rin could feel the fear pounding through his veins.

"Hey... Ai, what's wrong?" He asked quietly, pressing his lips against the crown of Nitori's head as he spoke. There was a coil of doubt in his stomach, his fingers curling tighter into the back of Nitori's jacket. Rin had really expected he would feel better with things settled, and when Nitori lifted his head to look up with teary eyes it was a shock to Rin's system. 

"I-I'll have to call my dad when we get back," he mumbled, blushing a little as Rin lifted a hand to caress his cheek. "He's gonna be so upset with me."

Rin nodded, pulling Nitori back into his arms and rubbing his thumb over the back of his neck, pressing soft shushing sounds against his hair. "It'll be okay. I'll stay with you while you do it."

Nitori nodded his head with a little sniff, winding up asleep in Rin's arms a little over halfway through the ride. Sousuke turned in his seat, raising an eyebrow at Rin's arms still wrapped tightly around Nitori's shoulders with a smile. 

"What're you gonna do?" He asked, keeping his voice low in the quiet air of the bus. Rin shrugged as much as he could without jostling Nitori's position, smiling a little crookedly at his childhood friend.

"Whatever he asks me too I guess," he chuckled quietly, giving a not so subtle glance around before speaking again. "I mean I know what I want but I dunno..."

He shook his head, lifting one hand to pet Nitori's hair with soft strokes, smiling as he nuzzled into the gesture with a sleepy mumble. Sousuke nodded his head and relaxed back into his seat, pulling headphones onto his head to drown out the loud snoring of the omega sleeping next to him. Rin stayed awake the whole ride back to school, giving Nitori a gentle nudge when the bus squeaked to a stop, smiling warmly as his blue eyes blinked open once again. He looked up with a quiet yawn, his eyes snapping shut when the overhead lights flickered on.

Rin let him continue leaning into his side as they walked back to the dorms, Momo mumbling at Sousuke; trying to tell a story through the sleep that clouded his mind. He didn't miss the smile on the other alpha's face, his hand on the back of Momo's neck to guide him in a straight line. Rin let himself be tugged into Nitori's room, setting both their bags down on his already messy desk and nodding him at the bed. "Call home tomorrow. You're exhausted."

"Ah, I can't," Nitori rubbed his eyes and dug his phone out of the bag, grimacing down at the screen. "I don't want someone to tell him before I do."

He sat on the bed with a little sigh, clutching the phone in his hand and chewing his bottom lip before looking up at Rin. "U-um, Senpai?"

"Yeah?" Rin raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to him and leaning his chin on Nitori's shoulder, glancing down as he set the phone on the bed, shifting so he could look at Rin instead.

"I-I... Well," he took a deep breath, eyes dropping down to the floor. His fingers started to wring together nervously. "I appreciate what you did for me today. B-but I guess I don't understand why."

"Why?" Rin blinked then shook his head with a smile, chuckling softly. "I already told you I'd do it the second you asked me to."

"B-but that doesn't answer the question," he mumbled softly, twisting his fingers in the fabric of his jacket and biting his lip. He continued looking anywhere in the room except for at Rin "I don't understand."

Rin paused at that, hovering a hand hesitantly over Nitori's shoulder before shaking his head with a little sigh. "Because I care about you."

"A-as a part of the team...?" Nitori lifted his head, cheeks pink and smile shy. Rin rolled his eyes a little, shaking his head and leaning forward, pressing his lips sweetly against Nitori's. It was a moment of soft contact, Rin's hand resting on the side of the omega's leg.

"I think we've been past the whole team thing for awhile," Rin grinned a little, giving Nitori's leg a squeeze. "But if you need to hear me say it, I would've mated with you months ago if I'd thought you were interested."

Rin tried hard to ignore the way that saying things so plainly made his face light on fire, the bright smile dawning on Nitori's face was easily worth his own embarrassment. He stared at Rin with wide, starry eyes. He shook his head, cheeks getting redder by the second and looking away suddenly. "I-I don't know if I believe that Senpai."

"Why?" Rin's brow furrowed, trying to ignore the stinging in his chest at the omega rejecting his confession. He didn't seem upset, and Rin would've called it being starstruck except now he was leaning away and shoving his phone onto the nightstand by the bed.

"I didn't think you were interested in mating," he gave a little bitter laugh, looking down at his lap and shaking his head. He looked up with a smile that made Rin's stomach twist; it was barely on his face at all, quivering just a little. "I-I mean we've been having a lot of fun a-and it made me feel a lot better, but I didn't really think..."

"Oh," Rin shook his head and stood quickly, ducking away from the iron bars of the top bunk. He could feel a tremble in the very tips of his fingers and he pushed his hands into his pockets, keeping his back turned as he took several breaths and tried to soothe away the wildly hurt expression on his face. He'd been stupid to say it at all. Of course Nitori wasn't looking to stick himself with Rin, he'd just gotten away from being stuck with a mate. He was trying to convince himself that he could just be around for 'fun' when he raised a hand from his pocket and waved, glaring straight at the door. "Get some rest Ai. you can call your dad in the morning."

"S-senpai?" Nitori blinked as Rin stepped away, his hand already reaching out to try and take hold of the door knob. He stopped but didn't look back, shoulders slumping inwards. Nitori sounded bewildered, his head tilted as he looked at Rin's back before shaking it quickly. "I-I didn't mean..."

He stopped, exploding off the bed and wrapping his arms around Rin's back. He pressed his forehead into Rin's jacket, shaking his head against the fabric. "I didn't mean you were just for fun! I just... I figured you'd want to mate with someone a lot better than me."

Rin froze, turning around in Nitori's hold with a glare on his face. He tilted Nitori's face up, sealing their lips together with a clipped growl, tasting the surprised nose Nitori loosed into his mouth. His fingers were light against the omega's jaw in contrast to the angry burn in his eyes. When he pulled back with just enough space to talk he growled again. "Don't say stupid shit like that. There isn't a 'better than you'. Period."

Nitori's eyes snapped open again, cheeks glowing pink as he looked up at Rin and blinked softly. His lips curled into a soft smile, kissing Rin again with all the sweetness that it carried. Rin's fingers twisted into the back of his hair, not gripping hard but enough to hold him there.

“I'm sorry,” he mumbled softly against Rin's lips, nuzzling their noses together with a wide smile on his face. He blushed, closing his eyes and leaning their foreheads together. “I'd love to have you be my mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely thought of skipping ahead to Ai calling his dad with Rin's mark already on him but that felt like robbing this of an important (and probably smutty) scene. But this is already like 7000 words long sooo that'll be for next time.


	8. Chapter 8

Rin nodded his head a little, eyes fluttering closed and pressing their lips together once again. His fingers curled more tightly into the omega's hair, swiping his tongue gently over the swell of his lower lip. Nitori opened his mouth with a little purring sound, hands lifting to grip onto Rin's hips. He blushed, pulling back with a little gasp at the knock on the door, blinking his eyes and staring at it like it confused him. He stepped away delicately, cheeks pink as he opened the door, looking up at Sousuke with a tilt to his head.

"A-ah, Yamazaki-senpai! H-hello!" He blinked a little as Sousuke leaned past the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the annoyed look on Rin's face with a smirk.

"Momo-kun fell asleep on your bed," he grinned a little wider at Rin's glare, tilting his head. "Figured I'd let you know."

He laughed softly, glancing between Rin and Nitori with a quirk of his eyebrow. He started to say something else before Rin snorted and shoved the door shut, rolling his eyes. "Giant idiot."

"Rin! That's rude," Nitori scolded with a giggle, flicking the lock shut and shaking his head. Rin laughed, tugging the back of Nitori's shirt and pulling them together again, leaving kisses on the back of his neck.

"One, Momo is probably in his bed. Two, he has a phone for things he just wants me to know," he laughed, fingers sliding down the omega's chest with a grin, nipping the shell of his ear softly. "He's being nosy, not helpful."

Nitori giggled again softly, tilting his head with a blush creeping over his cheeks. "So you're staying here tonight then?"

Rin chuckled lowly at that, rolling his eyes and tugging the zipper of Nitori's jacket down at a snails pace, nuzzling the slope of his shoulder with a hum in agreement. He pressed closer, lining himself against the omega's warm back and sliding his fingers along the bottom of his shirt. He brushed against Nitori's bare skin softly, grinning as Nitori leaned forward into it with a little shiver.

"Mmm, Rin?" Nitori purred softly, turning his head to look up at Rin with a smile crinkling around his eyes. He laughed softly as Rin lifted his head away from his shoulder reluctantly. Nitori leaned his weight back against the alpha's chest, kissing him with a purr, tilting his head and grinning a little wider. "I meant you should do it now."

Rin blinked at that, heat rising in his cheeks as he stared down at the omega pressed against him. He grinned a moment later, sliding back and turning Nitori around with a quirked eyebrow, kissing him again and backing him gently towards the bed. "Oh, is that what you meant? Here I was going to wait another few months."

He laughed softly, sliding his fingers down the omega's jaw with the barest touch of pressure, keeping his chin tilted upwards. He grinned a little wider, pressing Nitori down to the flat of his feet as he surged up for another kiss, shaking his head with a smirk. "You're so impatient."

"Riinn," he whined, pouting sweetly and swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. He pressed his hips forward instead, fingers curling into the fabric of Rin's jacket as he leaned into the touch of his fingers. He fluttered his eyelashes sweetly, looking up from under them in a picture of mock innocence. "Please mate with me?"

"Totally impatient," he laughed, leaning forward and pressing his lips against the side of Nitori's neck, inhaling deeply and trailing kisses up and down like he was searching for the perfect spot to sink his teeth in. "Here I thought you'd want to do something fun first."

Nitori shuddered softly, closing his eyes and seeming to flounder for a few seconds for words. It wasn't as if this was the first time he had Rin touching him like this, but it held such an implicit promise of more that made every gentle stroke of Rin's fingers maddening. He purred softly at the first touch of Rin's tongue against his neck, leaning forward a little in an encouragement for Rin to bite. He didn't, instead pulling his head away with a laugh that echoed in Nitori's mind and made him feel a little dizzy.

He dropped to the bed as soon as he felt his legs hit it, letting out a little 'oof'' of surprise. He hadn't even been aware of Rin encouraging him backward through the room and he blinked in surprised when the alpha dropped to his knees, kneeling in between Nitori's legs and looking up at him with a little smirk. He blushed softly, leaning forward and pressing his lips insistently against Rin's, smiling into the kiss as he felt hands working the track jacket off his shoulders. It would have been easier to keep whining at Rin for taking his time if all the teasing wasn't so enjoyable. Rin's hands skimmed down his sides, gripping the bottom of his shirt and breaking the kiss just briefly to pull it over his head and discard it to the side.

Rin paused for a moment, staring at the bare skin of Nitori's chest then up at his face. The smile that broke over his face was like sunrise and he surged forward, pressing his face into the crook of Nitori's neck and actually softly crooning against it. Nitori blinked softly, cheeks lighting bright red at the sound. His fingers tangled in the back of Rin's hair, pressing kisses against his temple and trying to ignore the way the sound made his heart attempt to beat out of his chest. Rin returned to laying a trail of open-mouthed kisses along his neck and down his collarbone. His hands came to squeeze the outside of Nitori's thighs, dragging his tongue almost lazily along the hard bud of his nipple before blowing a stream of cold air on it that made the omega yelp a little in surprise. He laughed quietly, a throaty quality still attached to it.

"R-Rin!" He squeaked, blushing even more furiously as Rin lifted his head to look up at him, pupils wide and heavy-lidded. He tried to pout but was helpless to keep it up with that face, instead using his gentle hold on Rin's hair to pull him closer and kiss him once more. Rin grinned into it, his thumbs leaving a burning trail over the flat of Nitori's stomach as he stroked it.

"This is gonna take even longer if you keep interrupting me," he smirked a little, laughing as Nitori flopped onto his bed with a little huff. Rather than let the pouty attitude deter him Rin leaned to kiss the omega's stomach instead, returning to that same crooning around as he admired him. Nitori's cheeks refused to give up on being beat red and he flung his arm to cover his eyes, trying to hide from the embarrassment of having an alpha- having Rin so content to sit back and simply touch him like this. He shifted Nitori's pants a little lower but didn't pull them down, instead he dragged his tongue over the soft v of the omega's hips, holding his hips tightly to keep them still.

Nitori squirmed in an attempt to push them up towards Rin's mouth, moaning softly when he was met with a bruise sucked into the line of his hip. Rin still refused to bite down, sliding his pants and underwear down inch by inch. He left rows of kisses over every piece of skin exposed, moving back and forth and grinning as Nitori continued to squirm himself upward to try and hurry him along. He squeaked a little in surprise when Rin hauled them past his knees in a single motion, the cool air rushing over his skin. He lifted his arm a little to peer down at Rin, shivering as he tossed the final wad of his clothing over his shoulder carelessly. One hand slid up the back of the omega's calf, lifting his leg and hooking it over his shoulder.

He left a trail of kisses along the inside of the leg as well, leaving a single nip at the sensitive crease of Nitori's thigh. The surprised whimper made him laugh again, Nitori trying his best to glare at Rin with frustration that only tied the aroused knot in his stomach even tighter. He was infuriatingly sure of himself, every touch steady with the exact pressure he wanted. Nitori dropped his arm from his eyes, instead clapping a hand over his mouth when Rin finally laid a single feather-light kiss on his cock.

His eyes fluttered a little as the alpha's tongue dragged along it, stopping as soon as Nitori's hand over his mouth muffled the sound of him mewling in delight. Rin lifted his head with a glare of his own, delivering another nip to the omega's thigh, more sharply this time. "Quit that. You're prettier when you moan."

Nitori flushed just a little at that, dropping his hand reluctantly and arching his back as Rin dragged his tongue over the head of his cock in reward, gathering the clear fluid that had bubbled out and streaked across the flat of Nitori's hips. Rin grinned, nodding his head and wrapping his hand around it instead, still looking up at the omega as he pumped teasingly.

"Don't cover your face up either," he smiled, squeezing his hand just a little more to test Nitori's compliance. He thrust up in frustration, the pressure only enough to continue to drive him absolutely insane. It was apparently exactly what Rin wanted, and he ducked his head to slide the tip into his mouth, eyes fixed on Nitori's face with a concentrated furrow between his brows. Nitori could only return the stare for a moment before his eyes fluttered closed, hips arching upward as Rin's tongue stroked over his slit. Nitori could feel the heated pressure in his stomach expanding into his limbs, making his body feel too small to contain it. He continued to squirm restlessly against the sheets, fists balled into them as Rin's head bobbed up and down at a determined pace. He was careful to never quite give the omega enough to push him over the edge, watching his face contort each time he neared the peak only to whimper out in wordless frustration as Rin pulled his head back so he was only breathing warm air over Nitori's damp cock with a grin.

He waited until Nitori turned his face to the side, whimpering ceaselessly on the bed only to arch his back in surprise as Rin's fingers stroked over his slick entrance. He creaked his eyes open, surprised at how hard it was, and stared down at the alpha with his lower lip sucked between his teeth. It had the desired effect, Rin pressed one finger in slowly and ghosted kisses on Nitori's thigh, sucking a bruise into it with a little grin. Rin's finger worked easily inside him, the drawn-out teasing had caused the slick to nearly overflow and he gasped when a second finger slid in as well. His eyes fluttered closed again, using his grip on the bed to leverage his hips downward and fuck himself on Rin's fingers as they scissored apart inside him, stretching his rim out.

He didn't curl them up against the bundle of nerves inside of the omega until he had a third finger slipped inside, and the sudden electricity that surged through his veins made Nitori's whole body twist to try and deepen the contact. Rin twisted his wrist and pushed them deeper methodically and it wasn't until Nitori sucked in a hard breath and held it for a moment that he could hear the quiet groans Rin pressed into his thigh. He held it until his head started to feel light, trying to savor the sounds Rin didn't even seem to be aware he was making.

Nitori whimpered when Rin's fingers slid out, his tongue darting one final stripe up the full length of Nitori's cock before he stood and yanked his clothing off urgently. It all wound up in a jumbled pile that Rin simply kicked away from his legs, hands hitching under both of Nitori's thighs and hauling their bodies close together. The tip of his cock smeared a line of precum up the omega's thigh where it dragged against the silky flesh and Rin paused with it lined up with Nitori's slick hole. The smile he received when Rin stared down at him was a surprise; he'd expected a kind of lust heavy smirk but instead was met with an endlessly tender expression on Rin's face. He leaned down, bumping their foreheads together before slotting their lips together in a kiss and finally, finally sliding inside.

Nitori's whimper trembled against the solid press of Rin's mouth, strengthening with each inch of Rin that slid inside until they were pressed flush together. Nitori's fists finally unclenched from the sheets, lifting to wrap his arms around Rin's neck and pull them even closer, tilting his head back with a breathless gasp as Rin's hips started to pull back at the same pace. He continued at the same slow pace, every thrust pushing as deep as possible inside the omega before grinding against his spot.

He clung more tightly to Rin's neck, mewling against his ear and rolling his hips with every thrust to increase the friction where he could. Rin increased his speed so gradually it was hard for Nitori to feel at first, his mouth hanging open just a little as Rin tilted his head back against the soft bed, nuzzling and nipping at the scent glands under his chin and closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply. The omega whimpered sweetly at the feeling, tilting his head back further to expose all of his throat and struggling to push his eyes open once again. His nails dug into Rin's shoulders, lifting his knees up to press against Rin's hips.

Rin's teeth sunk in high on his neck, just below the frantic thrumming of his pulse. Nitori's vision imploded as soon as he felt them, biting just hard enough to break the skin and hold as the omega twisted in the throes of the climax that nearly whited his vision out, mouth open around a single high keen. His awareness was ragged, the drag of Rin's tongue against the tiny punctures on his neck making him almost surprised when the alpha's weight sagged onto the bed next to him, tugging their bodies close together and nuzzling against the mark that was just starting to darken on his neck.

"You okay?" He mumbled, pressing a kiss to it that distracted Nitori feeling anything but the sudden awareness of how tangible it made the bond between them feel. He nodded sluggishly, managing a hum of agreement as he butted his head against the bottom of Rin's chin in a sleepy sort of affection. Rin laughed, his voice sounding surprisingly hoarse to the omega's ears. He pushed his eyes open once more, smiling brightly as he looked up at Rin's face. Sweat had stuck the hair that framed his face to his forehead and pink cheeks and he was still struggling to regain his breathing. Nitori was caught staring at his smile, wondering briefly if he'd ever catch his breath again.

Nitori giggled when he awoke, still nude with Rin and a sheet wrapped around him. It was a particularly nice way to wake up, Rin's hand had been drawn to the side of his neck in the night and his fingers were resting just a centimeter away from the bitemark that now adorned the side of his neck. The sticky feeling coating his chest and thighs was not nice and he wiggled himself free with a groan, staring at the blinking indicator light on his phone before picking it up with a sluggish yawn. He was surprised to find several text messages from his brother from even earlier in the morning... How was it only 10:30?

'ai you let your bf beat up watabe??'

'holy shit he actually broke his arm. thats amazing. i approve.'

'dad is PISSED. abort mission.'

'ai he said if you don't call by like... rn he's going to come drag you home. have fun explaining ive got your back!'

Nitori stared at the messages with a growing sense of dread, sinking to his knees when the world started to seem like it was spinning around him. He read the same words over and over without really seeing them, hugging his knees up to his chest in an attempt to stop the wild crashing of his heart. He was breathing like he'd just swam the longest race of his life, but his lungs felt weak and constricted like they wouldn't inflate all the way. Rin's hand landing on his shoulder was such a shock that he toppled over sideways with a shout, curling up on the floor with his phone clattering out of his hand.

Well, that certainly woke Rin up quickly. He pushed himself out of the bed, dropping on the floor next to Nitori and hesitating as he reached a hand out to him. Instead, he grabbed the cell phone from the floor and scanned over the open messages quickly before shifting the omega so he was sitting upright once again. From there he sidled close so they were pressed together, stroking his hair and whispering soothing nonsense into his ear. It worked, albeit slowly, Nitori seemed to become aware of his actual presence, turning so he could wrap his arms tightly around Rin's chest and breathe. Rin rubbed his back with slow strokes, glancing at the mark on his neck but hesitating to touch it lest it reminds Nitori of the whole reason he was panicking to begin with.

"R-Rin," his voice was still weak and breathless and he pushed his face against Rin's neck before pulling back suddenly and blinking his eyes. "I-I have to call..."

Rin smoothed his hands over Nitori's cheeks, nodding and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. "You can do it in a minute, just breathe with me okay?"

He began taking slow, deep inhales, smiling encouragingly when Nitori started to do the same, still cupping his face in his hands until he seemed at least calm enough on the outside. Rin knew the omega had a bad habit of concealing his feelings behind his blinding smiles and let go of his face only to hold onto his shoulders instead. "Good, you're okay. Go ahead and make your call, I'm right here."

Nitori nodded, pulling the blanket off the bed and wrapping it around his naked body with a little flush, his fingers fluttering over the mark on his neck before he picked up the phone and dialed the number for his father, his other hand clamped tight around Rin's. He looked upwards as it rang, sending a quick prayer to no one in particular for luck.

"Aiichirou," the voice on the other end was impassive as it answered and Nitori snuggled towards Rin's chest, seeking out the comfort of his mate without even thinking about it. "Would you like to explain what is going on to me?"

"U-um, w-well I'm guessing you heard that u-uh Dayu-kun got into a fight," he cringed on every tremor in his voice, trying to focus on Rin's thumb tracing circles on the back of his hand.

"Yes, I did hear that. His father is tremendously upset about the whole thing," he paused for a moment. "And who was this person he got into a fight with?"

Nitori shrank under the weight of the tone, a pleading whimper escaping his mouth before he could stop it. He could feel the weight of that disapproval threatening to snap him in half and he withered further, dropping his hand to the bed. "M-Matsuoka Rin... H-he's the um, he's the captain of my swim team."

"Is that all he is Aiichirou?" He questioned and Rin raised an eyebrow as Nitori curled himself into a ball and shook his head with another little whine. This one he strangled on the way out, clamping his mouth firmly shut for a moment. It wouldn't do any good for him to sound so pathetic on the phone; to remind his father why he was such a disappointment to begin with.

"N-no sir," he mumbled finally, knuckles white around the phone and shoulders curling inward. He tried to make himself even smaller, the weight of the blanket engulfing his body as he gripped onto it, trying to keep himself from trembling.

"I would like for you to explain exactly what is going through your head," there was the barest growl tacked onto those words and Nitori's eyes snapped shut for a moment. "I thought we had established an understanding. I thought you would enjoy being betrothed to someone you knew. I went out of my way to find you a companion, Aiichirou. I don't appreciate having my effort thrown away."

"I-I'm sorry," he whined out, biting down so hard on his lip that he tasted blood. "I wanted- I decided to-"

He pushed his eyes open again, staring up at Rin who was frowning intently at his curled posture, the line of his shoulders straight and tense with concern. He inhaled sharply, his eyes remaining locked on Rin's face. "I decided I wanted to m-mate with Rin-senpai."

His voice was tiny at the end, and the ensuing silence only made him duck his head once more. Rin shifted forward, wrapping his arm around the tiny bundle of blanket and omega, making a soft shushing sound at the back of his neck. He wanted to take the phone and explain exactly what he thought of the situation personally, including his own commentary on the idea that Dayu Watabe was fit to be a companion at all, but he resisted the urge. It was a long moment before Nitori's father spoke again.

"Please listen to me carefully now Aiichirou," there was another pause, this one sent Nitori's pulse jack hammering through his veins. "You and this Matsuoka Rin will leave Samezuka on the next train. You will come straight here and we will handle this."

Nitori hummed weakly into the phone, reaching out and grabbing Rin's hand again, closing his eyes and taking a shaking breath. "I understand sir."

"Good. And please do not call your brother and allow him to encourage you to make more foolish choices. I'll be dealing with him separately," he paused again, raising an eyebrow. "I will expect you to be here well in time to have a civilized dinner. I'm sure your... Captain will be able to return on the train in time for his schooling tomorrow."

Nitori cringed at that but nodded his head, leaving it bowed as he squeezed Rin's hand weakly. "Y-yes sir."

The line went dead after he agreed without a goodbye. He closed the phone weakly, whimpering before pressing his head into his arms to hide his face, whole body trembling. Rin slid his arms under the blanket and hugged Nitori close to him once again, closing his eyes and trying to will away the white hot instinct telling him to protect his omega. Nitori calmed more easily this time, blinking his eyes open with a grimace, looking down.

"We should shower, and I should text Aki," he seemed content to at least disregard the order not to talk to his brother. Rin wasn't surprised by that in the least and he pressed a gentle kiss to the beauty mark under Nitori's eye before standing and nodding at the bathroom.

"I'll shower then go get some clothes," he ducked inside with a sigh, figuring the omega could probably use a few moments by himself to process. He was glad neither Sousuke nor Momo had decided to come banging on the door yet this morning. He closed his eyes as the hot water beat against his face, wondering if his second impression of Nitori's father would make him hate him less than the first. When he stepped back into the room, Nitori's eyes were still glued to the screen of his phone, apparently intently reading the response from his brother. Rin gathered his clothes from the floor quietly, tilting the omega's chin up to face him with a burning smile.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the mark and closing his eyes at the waves of calm that resounded in his chest from the contact. It was reassuring just to touch it and he pressed his thumb there when he lifted his head away. "Whatever happens, I'm not going anywhere."

Nitori's face softened at that, leaning forward to bump his forehead against Rin's with a nod. He smiled, and Rin felt encouraged despite how weak it was. "I know... You should bring your clothes from the team banquet last year."

Rin wrinkled his nose. He knew what Nitori was referring to; the dark suit jacket and slacks he'd been forced to wear when he accepted the position as captain officially. He didn't like the getup but he shrugged his shoulders with a little grin. "I guess that's better than the maid dress."

Nitori actually laughed at that, nodding and flipping his phone shut before pulling himself off the bed with a little sigh, he leaned up on his toes, kissing Rin with a sweetness that made the alpha melt against him. He pulled back reluctantly, looking a little shy.

"I'll come knock once I'm all ready," he promised and Rin nodded his head, ducking out of the room. The hall was empty and he was glad that his walk was no further than simply crossing the hall and quirking an eyebrow before snapping a picture of Sousuke and Momo still asleep; Momo was in Sousuke's bunk as he'd predicted, the alpha's arms wrapped around him like the grip was the only thing that could possibly contain the boundless energy he had when he was actually awake.

Waiting for Nitori to get ready frazzled Rin's nerves. It only took him a moment to gather his suit and fold it neatly into a bag, along with a toothbrush and his uniform incase he did wind up having to sleep wherever Nitori lived. It didn't seem likely, but carrying a bag with only the suit in it made Rin feel rather foolish. With that finished he stretched out on his bed and tried to read some news story on the screen of his phone. He stopped when he noticed he'd been reading the same line over and over without understanding it, thumbing the screen off and giving a frustrated grunt.

That small sound of annoyance was apparently enough to wake Sousuke, who untangled himself from Momo slowly before poking his head over the railing and raising an eyebrow. He climbed down with a yawn, scratching at his bare chest and raising an eyebrow.

"You look pissed," he observed, stretching his arms over his head. Rin shrugged and leaned back on the bed, trying not to look his best friend in the face.

"Well I mated Ai last night," he grimaced at the total lack of surprise in Sousuke's expression. "Now I have to go have dinner with his brother and his dad."

"Guess he doesn't waste any time," Sousuke turned, pulling a shirt out of his drawer and pulling it on. Rin suspected it had less to do with some ill-timed sense of modesty and more to do with the pink claw marks on his chest that he would rather hide. Rin didn't comment, partially because he was absorbed with his own issues to be smug and partially because he knew the back of his neck looked exactly the same.

"Ai could barely have a conversation with him on the fucking phone," his tone was baleful and he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes with a sharp exhale. "He just... He didn't care- doesn't care at all about how Ai feels. I don't get it."

"It's good he has you then," Sousuke shrugged before wandering into the bathroom with only one glance back at where Momo was still asleep. Rin smiled to himself just a little, taking a moment to appreciate Sousuke's way of saying just the right thing like it was totally obvious all along. When Nitori knocked gently on the door Rin actually felt like this wouldn't be the absolute worst day of his life. He opened it and looked down at Nitori with a reassuring smile, giving his hair a careless ruffle before lacing their fingers together and pulling the door shut. Nitori had a bag like Rin did, wearing a comfortable pair of jeans and a shirt with a cartoon kitten that Rin could peg as one of his favorites. It was surprisingly casual attire for a dinner he was packing a suit to.

"We're meeting Akihiko before we go to the house," he explained with a smile, glancing down at his outfit with a little shrug. Rin nodded, walking with him to the station and tracing circles on the back of his hand the whole way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't slept in like 24 hours. I made sure to proofread this with grammarly but if there are any glaring, terrible errors I'm sorry. I feel like this chapter is a little on the shorter side, but hopefully you enjoy!
> 
> Edit: Yeah, as soon as I start answering comments I notice myself switching tenses in the middle of sentences right at the end. Good job sleepless me, good job. I fixed what I saw wrong, tell me if I screwed up anywhere else so I can continue with berating my insomnia.


	9. Chapter 9

Riding the train out to the city where Ai had grown up, Rin expected nerves to set in at any moment. It felt more like being perched on the starting block for an hour, waiting for the signal that would tell him it was time to plunge into the water. He was glad for the calm, it gave him more attention to expend on managing the panic that bubbled up in the omega at seemingly random intervals. By the time they stepped off at the station and found Akihiko waiting, Rin was sure Ai looked tireder than he had after competing the day before. Akihiko waved at them though his smile was more subdued as he looked at his older brother, scooping him into a hug with a little sigh.

"Quit freakin' out Nii-chan," his scolding was half-hearted and Rin was still reluctant to let go of Ai's hand. He hugged his brother back with fervor, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Akihiko's head lifted up to glare daggers that only made Rin roll his eyes, remembering a comment about Ai's honor being something that Akihiko felt compelled to protect. It was a little late for that now and so he shrugged the glare off rather than answering with one of his own. "C'mon, we'll go to Emi-chan's and get something sweet before we go home."

He released Ai from his arms and didn't react much when Rin took his hand again, just a minimal narrowing of his eyes like he still wasn't convinced himself that he agreed with Ai's decisions. Rin was glad he was aware enough not to argue it right away, at least not with dinner with their father looming over everyone's heads

'Emi-chan's' turned out to be a small bakery actually called Silver Linings where the girl behind the counter, who was not as far as Rin could tell from the name tag called Emi, seemed to recognize both Nitori brothers, giving Ai a wave that at least made him brighten a little. Rin was carrying both their bag on one shoulder now, his hand having migrated from holding Ai's to rest on the back of his neck instead. Akihiko ordered some kind of chocolate cake in an enormous slice with three forks before they all sat at a small table in the corner. The place was as busy as could be expected for a Saturday and Rin nudged his seat just a little closer to Ai's, setting their bags down to his other side.

"So we get to have family dinner tonight," Akihiko observed with a grimace down at the food, nudging some of the crumbs at the corner of the plate with one of the forks. He sighed softly, leaning his elbows on the table like he was telling a secret. "I told him if he tried to bully you into anything else I'd refuse to take over."

"That's what he meant by not letting you talk me into anything else?" Ai looked up with a blink, tilting his head and frowning at his brother. "You shouldn't do that Aki. There's no need for you to be in trouble too."

"I'm not gonna just let him push you around," Akihiko grunted, shaking his head and glancing at Rin. "I've always got your back."

"You know he told me not to even talk to you before I came home," Ai shook his head with a sigh, taking a reluctant bite of the cake now. He nudged Rin's leg under the table, biting his lip. "I was trying to tell Dayu-kun last night that I didn't think I could go through with it."

Rin blinked, hooking their legs together under the table and shaking his head. "That's what he was so pissed over? What a creep."

Ai scratched the back of his head, glaring at the table for another moment before lifting his head to look up at Rin, sucking in a deep breath. "I'm probably not going to college, Senpai."

Rin raised an eyebrow at that, trying to catch up with the sudden change in the conversation. He had been trying to encourage Ai to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher since he'd quietly admitted it the year before. He'd been quiet whenever the subject of after high school plans had come up ever since...

Ever since he'd presented, Rin realized belatedly. He sighed softly, scooping Ai's hand up in his own again. "You should go if it's what you want."

"I-if I want to convince him that this relationship is... okay, I'm going to have to be willing to agree to whatever plan he comes up with instead," Ai's voice was quiet and Rin shook his head with a growl that he couldn't quite manage to suppress, squeezing his hand a little. He wanted to argue that it didn't seem like his father's plans were worth shit to begin with but there was a strong set to Ai's jaw that told him it probably wouldn't change his mind anyway. There was a familiar prickling at the back of his eyes, but Rin refused to drop his gaze, even when his voice went traitorously soft.

"You don't have to do that," he tried to keep his tone strong, closing his eyes for an extra second in an attempt to try and shove his tears to a far corner of his mind. He had been stupidly hopeful the night before that getting rid of Dayu would be the end of the issue. It was worse than that though and he lifted his head with a sigh that felt as heavy as his heart. "You weren't going before either, were you?"

Ai paused at that then glanced down and shook his head. He looked smaller than Rin was used to; he knew Ai didn't occupy much space physically and that, of course, hadn't changed, but his presence had always made him seem a little larger. Not so big he filled a room and demanded attention, but he certainly wasn't someone Rin could overlook. Here he seemed to wilt away, and he bit his lip softly before speaking again. "It was just a dream, Rin-senpai. I'm okay with it, really. I've figured for awhile that it wouldn't happen."

He sounded sad in such a distant way that it made Rin's chest physically ache. He'd seen the hours of grueling work Ai was willing to put in to improve in swimming. His memories of seeing Ai stumble in pursuit of a goal were few and far between, and he didn't have a single one of the omega actually giving up on anything. Ai lifted his head when Rin didn't say anything, his face softening into a sad smile as he untangled his hand from Rin's, brushing a thumb over his cheek and shaking his head. "You don't have to cry for me."

Rin blinked, feeling tears leak out of his eyes when he did before groaning and lifting his arm to try and scrub them away. "Of course I have to if you're not going to."

He half expected Akihiko to laugh at him for it, or do the same kind of grunted attempt at comfort that Sousuke wound up attempting. Instead, Ai continued stroking his cheeks with a tender smile that just made Rin even angrier and even more hopelessly sad. He hated the idea of Ai giving up on his dreams at all but especially giving them up in favor of being with him. He shouldn't be sitting here swallowing down sobs, he should be able to prevent Ai from having to make that kind of choice in the first place.

He wiped at his eyes again and sighed, casting a glance at Akihiko and glowering just a little at the mix of amusement and anger on his face. At least he wasn't crying anymore and Ai wiped the last tears off his face with a smile that made Rin's chest tighten a little further. "You could've told me before."

"I didn't want you to cry," he shrugged and Rin couldn't resist the roll of his eyes at that. He ruffled Ai's hair with a little snort, his hand dropping from the top of his head to touch the mark on the side of his neck.

"You and Sousuke can't always use that as an excuse. I don't cry that often," he grumbled. He did cry that often, but it wasn't as bad as they made it seem. He cried for them especially because both of them were so preoccupied with their own strong fronts that they wouldn't. He sighed a little and dropped his head to nuzzle against Ai's, closing his eyes. "I'm gonna do whatever I can for your dream too."

"I get to hate him tomorrow, right?" Akihiko grumbled after a long minute, hands clamped around the edge of the table. Rin looked up and shrugged his shoulders with a little glare, tilting an eyebrow upward. "I didn't think Ai would actually get to pick someone who would give a shit. I have to be pissed off on principal."

Rin laughed at that, a little surprised that he had managed to pass Akihiko's muster at all. When he had come to visit Samezuka he figured it was because the other alpha had assumed that he would only be a temporary piece of his brother's life, rather than someone more permanent. Hopefully. Ai shrugged his shoulders, seeming a little more cheerful as he dug into the remainder of the piece of cake. He made small talk with Akihiko as he ate, Rin's focus drifting in and out as he considered what the actual dinner would be like.

"Now we have to go home, don't we?" He groaned as he stood, catching the flicker of nerves that crossed Rin's face with a little shrug. "You can just be yourself Senpai."

"You think your Dad will like me?" Rin asked with a weak chuckle, lifting both their bags and rolling his eyes when Ai reached out to take his, draping them both on his shoulder and taking his hand instead. Akihiko laughed at that, shaking his head hard.

"No, he'll just hate you no matter how you act. No reason to be nervous about it really," he grinned at the way Rin frowned at that, shrugging his shoulders. Ai's smile was a little more tense, his fingers squeezing tightly against Rin's like the alpha's hand was the only thing helping him stave off panic. After the phone call in the morning and the tense train ride out to the city Rin was pretty sure that was true. 

He'd never seen Ai so intensely anxious barring the time he got lost at Nationals the year before, Rin had to drag Ryuno with him to calm the hyperventilating omega down enough to lead him back to the rest of the team. It was one reason he was actually a little glad to see Ai rooming with Momo; they were the only two omega's on the team and he'd seen personally how effective that could be at calming them down. Even if Momotarou didn't understand the meaning of the word 'calm'.

The thread of tension wound tighter as he walked with the brothers so a house that he found shockingly large for three people. It wasn't quite to what Rin would call a mansion though it was only really missing the iron gate out front, the outside stark white and looking over a lawn that was a little too perfectly manicured. Ai frowned just a little at it, squeezing Rin's hand once more and leading him up the small path. He wondered briefly just how large the company the Nitori family owned must be, berating himself for never really asking Ai much about it.

Not that he probably would have gotten any answers, he figured, Ai was a master of twisting his way out of questions he didn't want to answer. He didn't knock on the door, letting Akihiko push it open with a storm cloud shadowing his face. Rin stepped inside with a blink, eyes roving over the nicely decorated entrance. 

It was more modern than he expected, with framed artwork and walls painted a muted gray. He was still looking around as he toed his shoes carefully off, looking up at the cavernous ceiling and yelping in surprise when a short female omega tugged the bags off his shoulder. She blinked at his reaction, her lips curling up into a little smile as she looked at where his hand was still laced with Ai's. Ai looked at her with a smile so wide his eyes crinkled at the corners, still holding Rin's hand as he bounded forward and hugged her with his free arm.

"Mei-chan!" She returned the hug, the black maids uniform she was wearing rustling as she chuckled softly and released him. She fixed Akihiko with a disapproving look, still holding the bags she had taken from Rin.

"It's wonderful to see you home again Ai," her voice dropped, still glaring at Akihiko in a way that was impressive for her height. "You were supposed to stay here Young Master, you don't even have the decency to sneak back in your own window? Your father is on a tear already you know."

"I told Ai that I would pick him up from the station! I couldn't just leave him waiting there," he complained, looking away from her intense gaze with a little huff.

At that, her glare shifted to Rin, her brown eyes so dark they were nearly black. Rin prided himself on his glaring skills, just a little, and he wasn't easily intimidated but the look he received made him stumble back a step and rub the back of his neck. "U-um, I'm Rin Matsuoka..."

"No. Trouble is what you are," she huffed and Rin realized she couldn't be any older than he was himself. She shook her head, tutting a little and looking him up and down. Ai actually giggled at the examination and Rin fought the urge to glare at him as well. She may have been an omega and a full head shorter than him, with mahogany skin and slender shoulders, but Rin was just a little afraid of the intense aura wafting off this woman. Her face brightened again as she looked at Ai, tilting her head. "I'll take your things upstairs and let your father know you've arrived. Do you need anything to get settled?"

Ai shook his head and she nodded primly, looking up at Akihiko with a little snort. "You, Young Master, are going to follow me upstairs, your father has asked to see you three times since you decided you had better things to do today. Come on."

Akihiko grumbled as he followed her up the large staircase and Rin had to bite back a laugh at the way he hung his head and slumped his shoulders forward. He was curious about what she would do if he'd argued with her, looking down at Ai with a raised eyebrow and a laugh.

"I didn't think he'd listen to anyone other than you.” He grinned a little, smiling as Ai led him out of the entryway and into what he assumed was a living room. All the furniture was western he noted, with a steel gray couch and dark steel coffee table. Ai shrugged and smiled softly.

"He has no choice with Mei-chan. She's been his best friend since we were kids cuz her mom was our maid, she only works here on the weekends," he giggled softly, sitting down on the plush couch and tucking his legs under him. "I was hoping she'd drag him by his ear again."

"Is that why you're hopeless at cleaning?" He asked, really only half joking. Maybe there was a reason for the terrible upkeep of his desk after all. Ai rolled his eyes, swatting at Rin's arm with a giggle.

"Don't be mean Senpai! It wasn't that bad," he smirked a little, laughing still as Rin shrugged his shoulders. "If you're not nice I'll tell Mei-chan."

"I'm still offended she called me trouble," he rolled his eyes, laughing and draping an arm over the back of the couch. Ai lunged forward and tucked himself in the open space at Rin's side, nuzzling his shoulder. "I'm getting the feeling that no one in your family is gonna like me."

"That's probably true," Ai shrugged, smiling at the way Rin's mouth dipped into a frown at that. He stroked his fingers over the back of Ai's neck instead, deflating with a little sigh as his thumb pressed into the mark. Ai wiggled to get closer to the contact, eyes fluttering a little at the warmth that purred to life in his veins.

"I wouldn't have done it if you'd told me it would cause such an issue for you," he nudged Ai a little closer, closing his eyes and resting his cheek on the top of his head. It wasn't quite regret that made him frown, but he couldn't feel good about the prospect of Ai having to give up his dreams for the future for anything, especially him. Ai shook his head and closed his eyes as well, a gentle smile on his face.

"Maybe this is my dream now instead," his tone was too soft to be teasing and Rin turned his face to nuzzle the crown of Ai's head instead. He didn't say anything for a long moment and Ai could feel Rin's heart hammering from the fluttering of his pulse. It made him smile a little wider that he could have that kind of effect on Rin. "Don't worry about it so much, I'm happy with what I decided."

"I'm happy to hear that, I just-" Rin frowned more intensely, shaking his head but tightening his hold. "I feel like I shouldn't have involved myself at all. Or I shouldn't have waited... I was going to tell you after the relay last year. I chickened out."

Ai's eyes fluttered back open at that, his brow furrowing as he shifted just enough to be able to look up at Rin. The idea of him chickening out of anything was honestly a little laughable, it was the rest of his words that made Ai frown. "Tell me?"

"Er, confess or whatever," Rin blinked, his fingers stroking the line of Ai's jaw. The contact left a burning trail on Ai's skin, but he refused to lean his face into it. Rin raised an eyebrow as Ai continued staring at him, pressing his mouth into a flat line. "You really had no idea I had a crush on you?"

"N-no!" He sputtered in surprise, cheeks lighting up red. It was embarrassing to think of Rin having feelings for him at all, even if there was a bite on his neck that existed solely to prove that fact to the entire world. He had been fairly obvious about it from the moment he had first asked Ai about his fiancee, but anything before that was... His cheeks flamed further.

"You're kidding me. Nagisa figured it out when we did that first stupid joint practice and Sousuke has been laughing at me since he got here," Rin's shoulders sagged before he laughed, shaking his head with a grin. He looked at Ai and raised an eyebrow, smirking a little in that sharp way he did whenever he was about to win at something. "Haru figured it out faster than you."

"N-Nanase-san knew too? Jeez, did you tell everyone else you knew that you were in love with me Rin-senpai?" Ai giggled, not realizing the word until it had already left his mouth. It was teasing, but Rin shrugged and his face looked a little more serious, and his cheeks were pink.

"The only person I actually told was Nagisa! Apparently it's just been really obvious," he didn't really want to expound on just how obvious. Nagisa had giggled at him for bumbling his way through trying to explain himself before settling and telling Rin that he didn't actually have to do anything about his crush if he was happy, but he shouldn't hide it just because he was scared. Rin appreciated the advice though he had the feeling that Nagisa wasn't just talking about the crush he had on Ai. He was still on a mission to flirt his way into the goofball Megane's heart. Ai hummed softly next to him, tilting his head thoughtfully.

"I would think you would've talked to Tachibana-san. He seems like a good listener," Ai nuzzled his way back into Rin's arms, shifting so he could still look up and continue the conversation.

"His romantic advice is terrible," Rin laughed softly, shaking his head hard. "And he's exactly as oblivious as you apparently. Kisumi actually kissed him three times before he decided it probably wasn't a joke."

"I don't think I could picture him with anyone except Nanase-san. Though..." Ai glanced away, his voice trailing off before his cheeks ignited again. "I was sure you were interested in Nanase-san too."

"Haru? Ew," Rin wrinkled his nose a little, shaking his head with a chuckle. "I mean, when we were kids I guess I was. Right up until he actually caught Makoto and Kisumi and nearly got in a fight."

Rin laughed a little at the memory, squeezing Ai closer to him and pausing before nuzzling their noses together. "I don't have any romantic feelings for Haru."

Ai's face melted into a smile at the goofy display of affection, tilting his head and looking up with a smile. "Nagisa-kun then?"

"Okay, that one's definitely gross. Nagisa's basically my brother, and he's a huge pain," Rin grinned, blinking at Mei entering the doorway with a raised eyebrow at the two of them cuddled together, glaring intently at Rin before Ai noticed her as well.

"Ai, it would be a good idea for you to dress for dinner now. I can help if you would like," her tone was almost bored, rolling her eyes a little as she mimed a curtsey. Ai nodded and extracted himself gently from Rin's grip, standing and nodding at him to follow.

"Thanks, Mei-chan. I can show Senpai my room," he smiled, trotting up the stairs and leaving Rin to slouch his way behind, trying to ignore the strangely intimidating omega watching him.

"You know you really don't have to keep calling me that," he laughed softly. This was at least the fifth time he had tried to get Ai to quit calling him 'senpai', each other attempt working for no more than two days. At least he'd been more agreeable to not addressing him as captain. Ai shrugged, looking back down at him.

"I know, but that's how I think of you. You're Rin-senpai," he smiled and for once the title didn't make Rin feel like there was an extra piece of space between them that he couldn't quite close. He'd abandoned 'Nitori-kun' weeks ago in favor of the nickname. Momo had picked up on it as well as Nagisa though Ai still insisted on the former addressing him properly. 

"Whatever makes you happy I guess," Rin shrugged his shoulders with a smile, raising an eyebrow as Ai opened the door up to his room. It was far bigger than the space they had shared at Samezuka and spotlessly clean. The walls were a cheery shade of blue, with curtains and furniture that was pure white. It didn't feel overtly personal; the bookshelf was mostly full of old textbooks and storybooks with a few of the romances Rin knew he liked scattered between them. He stepped a little closer to it when he noticed the single trophy on the middle shelf, made entirely of glass with a small panel of engraved black metal on the front. Rin knew what it said before he picked it up, smiling to himself as he traced his thumb over the neatly printed 'Most Improved Performance - Nitori Aiichirou'. Ai looked up from chattering something at Mei, blinking at Rin staring at the trophy with a soft giggle.

"That would be the thing you go pick up," he smiled as Rin set it down with a shrug. He was surprised to see it there without any other trophies, surprised that their room at Samezuka felt like it contained more of Ai than this space did. It didn't even really smell like him despite the piled nest of pillows at the top of the bed. He'd walked in to find Ai and Momo cuddled up in a nest on the floor of their room more than once, usually with both of them fast asleep. He had pictures of it on his phone as well. Between the two of them they had more pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals than the rest of the swim team combined.

"It doesn't feel like you," he observed, turning to watch Mei look at the clothes Ai had packed with a wrinkle of her nose before turning and pawing through his closet instead. Ai's face dropped just a little before he caught Rin smirking. "It's even clean."

"My desk is not that bad," he snapped mostly out of reflex and Rin laughed. There was a desk in the corner of this room, but it lacked the balled up papers and piles of nicknacks that Rin had grown used to pretending he disliked. He reached out and tugged Ai close to plant a kiss on his forehead with a shrug.

"I just can't really picture you in here," he mumbled, smiling as Ai looked up at him curiously.

"What's your room at home like then Senpai?" He asked, blinking softly as Rin laughed at that, shifting from holding onto his arm to lacing their fingers together instead.

"Full of shit from before I went abroad. Gou digs through all of it more than I do so it's been left kinda messy," he shrugged his shoulders, looking the bookcase over again. There were journals tucked here and there like the romance novels though he was glad there was no familiar pink magazine. "I got rid of a bunch of stuff over the summer, but most of my actual stuff is at school."

Ai nodded, looking over at the dress Mei was holding out to him with a frown. It was light blue with pink flowers printed on the fabric, Ai reached out to take it with a little sigh and Rin couldn't quite decide if it was because he didn't like the dress itself or was unhappy over the fact that it signalled the dinner that he really didn't want to have. Mei passed it over with a small glare at Rin, raising one dark eyebrow in a perfect arch.

"You brought something other than that, right?" Her voice was imperious and Rin wondered how in the world and omega like this had ended up as a maid. Rather than giving her the kind of retort he could feel on his tongue he simply nodded instead, laughing as the bobbed her head to Ai and swept out of the room with a shout. "Young Master if I come in there and you are not dressed there will be a problem!"

"Does she do that all the time?" He asked with a chuckle, glancing at the closed door before shrugging his shirt off over his head and digging in the bag he'd brought for the hopefully unwrinkled button down. Ai shrugged a little, tilting his head and barely bothering to turn to the side to change. He wasn't surprised, years on a variety of swimming teams had made him all but immune to watching someone else get dressed, even when it came to Ai. 

"Yell at Aki? Constantly," he laughed softly, shaking his head with a smile as he shimmied the dress on over his head. "She calls him 'young master' because he hates it. He tried to boss her around once at school and she kicked his shin so hard he had to take three days off of practice... She used to be his vice-captain."

"That why she keeps looking like she wants to hit me?" He chuckled but glanced at the door a little anyway, grimacing at the tie in his hands and trying to remember how exactly they were supposed to be tied. Mikoshiba had done it last time, despite his over the top grumbling. He didn't think Ai would know, which meant having to ask the scary maid to help wrap something around his neck. He held it up and raised an eyebrow at Ai struggling to zip the back of the dress himself. "If I ask her to tie this will she strangle me with it?"

"It's distinctly unlikely. If Mei-chan decides to strangle you she'll probably do it herself," he giggled, turning around and looking over his shoulder at Rin with a flutter of eyelashes and a smile. "Help?"

Rin chuckled, ghosting his fingers down the curve of Ai's spine before tugging the zipper up in one smooth stroke with a grin. He pressed closer for just a second, kissing the shell of Ai's ear before stepping away and holding the tie out with a pleading expression on his face. "I don't suppose you know how this thing works."

Ai looked up at him with a laugh, leaning on his toes to slide it around the back of his neck, tying it with sure fingers. He rolled his eyes a little, straightening it along with the collar of the shirt. "How do you not know? I don't even wear ties."

"Yeah well I don't either," he grumbled softly, grabbing both of Ai's hands and pressing kisses to his knuckles with a smile. He tilted his head a little, cheeks going a little red as there was a soft cough from the doorway, stepping back and releasing Ai's hands with a little sigh. Akihiko glared back at him, fidgeting with the jacket of his suit like he was struggling not to rip it off himself. His body in the doorway blocked the view of all but Mei's arm, shoving him from behind.

"Go downstairs now, Young Master," she scolded, pushing her head under his arm and glaring at Rin. "You. Trouble-kun, jacket on now. It's time to pretend we're all respectable and civilized people."

Rin barked a laugh at the nickname, rolling his eyes and grabbing the thankfully wrinkle free jacket from where he had laid it on the bed. He nudged Ai's shoulder with his own, shaking his head a little. "Tell her I'm not trouble."

"Mmm, I dunno about that Senpai," Ai purred, smirking a little and adjusting the jacket on Rin's shoulders after he shrugged it on. "You probably are trouble, at least a little."

"That's just unkind," Rin hung his head with a laugh, giving a quick glance at Mei before ducking his head forward and kissing Ai softly, stroking his thumb once over his cheek before stepping back with a little sigh. "Alright, let's go."

Ai bit his lip softly, nodding and walking down the stairs as slowly as he could get away with, his shoulders getting tenser with each step downwards. He was surprised when Mei reached out and gave Ai's hand a squeeze, nuzzling her head briefly against his shoulder, the thick braid holding her hair behind her back sliding to nudge him. "You'll be alright Ai. You and Young Master both."

He nodded but didn't seem entirely convinced, teeth worrying more roughly against his lip. She gave him one more gentle squeeze before peeling off toward what Rin presumed was the kitchen, her footsteps silent on the heavy carpet. Ai hesitated, staring at the doorway with wide eyes and quivering fingers. Rin paused with him, rubbing the back of his shoulder gently to try and ease the fear that flooded through his veins. 

"C'mon, it'll be okay," he tried to keep his voice soft, other hand curled into a loose fist by his side. Ai nodded weakly, sucking in a deep breath and taking a stumbling step forward, gently shrugging Rins hand off and giving Akihiko a weak smile before taking a seat at the table. Rin glanced at the other alpha with a blink, surprised that the table was still empty other than him. He sat down next to Ai with a weak smile, trying to make it look as reassuring as possible. Judging by the way Ai's frown only deepened it seemed to be a failure.

Mei padded out of the kitchen with a glare frozen onto her face, balancing plates on her arms that she settled in front of them, huffing down at Akihiko. "I did not come here to be a waitress, Young Master."

He rolled his eyes at her sneer, laughing and leaning back in the seat with a tilt of his head. "Please, take my place by all means."

"On second thought, your first course will be right out," she purred wickedly, watching him shake his head with a sigh. "The master received an important call and he should be joining you momentarily."

"Who called him?" Akihiko asked, his brow furrowing in concern. Mei rolled her eyes with a shrug, flicking his temple with a little snort.

"Do I look like I come programmed with caller ID?" She snorted and Rin raised an eyebrow at the first time she hadn't snapped the title at him with a condescending note in her voice. "I swear you think I'm here for everything. It's bad enough I have to play your maid and bodyguard already."

"You are not my bodyguard," he snorted, reaching around and tugging her apron with a glare. "I don't need something stupid like that."

"I'm better in a fight than you, it counts the same," she smirked, brushing his hand away from her skirt and sauntering back into the kitchen with a laugh. "Enjoy your meal Young Master."

He rolled his eyes, grumbling a little under his breath as she marched away. Rin was trying his absolute best not to laugh, nudging Ai's leg under the table with his own. "Your maid acts like Sousuke."

Ai blinked at that, drawn out of his nervous thoughts with a surprised laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "She is a little bit like him, you're right."

Ai's head snapped up at the sound of steps on the stairs, reaching out a little blindly to grab Rin's hand and pull in a shaking breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The OCs in this fic are fun to write. I'm sorry I left it off before the important bits but this is already pushing 6,000 words and that's a little excessive.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is on the short side, and the more observant among you will see that I've officially marked this story as being 11 chapters long.

Contrary to what Rin had been expecting, Ai's father walked into the dining room without bluster. He was built like Akihiko; all height with long limbs and likely slender muscle under his tailored suit, Rin would guess he was no older than Sasabe. He lacked the warmth Ai seemed to carry with him and both his eyes and hair were dark in contrast to both sons. His smile was cool and hard at the edges like it wasn't used to being a part of his face and Rin did his best to return it. He looked at Rin with a quirked eyebrow, something flitting across his face too quickly to really be interpreted. Rin was almost shocked when he bowed his head just slightly and stopped to extend a hand in greeting.

"Masahiro Nitori. From the sound of thing you've met both of my sons already," Rin shook his head as firmly as he dared, trying not to cock his head when Masahiro allowed their wrists to rub together for a brief moment before letting go. It was a gesture of respect between alpha's though Rin had only seen it extended between captains at swim meets. The other alpha's eyes swept over him once more before he turned to take his seat at the head of the table, the same cool smile on his face.

Ai continued curling in on himself though Rin was glad he was still short of the kind of panic he had shown earlier. He would have been able to just chalk it up to nerves if he wasn't used to seeing Ai directly before a competition, his eyes bright and clear, focused entirely on a singular goal. He let his hand brush Ai's just once more, trying to transfer something calming with that touch while still noting the wary expression on Akihiko's face. It was like he was regarding a cobra that refused to be charmed. Masahiro turned to the table and looked at the already served food with mild surprise on his face before nodding his head.

"It seems Mei is a little more on top of things today than I am," he glanced at the door that Rin figured led back to the kitchen before turning to him with an apologetic smile. "I realize I've kept you waiting and I am sorry, there was a call I really couldn't put off."

Rin nodded a little unsurely, waiting until both Akihiko and Ai had started eating, the latter more shifting his food around rather than showing any concrete interest, before hazarding a bite of his own salad. It was good, of course because salad was hard to fuck up from the beginning. He could feel Masahiro's eyes resting heavy on him but decided not to do something openly defiant like glaring straight back at him. After a long moment and several bites later he cleared his throat.

"So being Captain would make you a 3rd year, correct?" He sounded curious but no more so than was polite. Rin blinked a little before nodding, looking up with a tilt to his head. "I see. Have you made your plans for after you graduate then?"

"Ah- well," he hesitated a moment. He had a plan, yes, but recent events were making him rethink it just a little. "Originally I was planning to return to the team I swam with in Australia, but it's early enough that I'll probably have a lot of scouting offers to look at."

"Your plan is to continue swimming in college then?” There was something under the question that Rin couldn't quite place.

“I plan to swim professionally,” Rin amended without hesitating. College was an option for it though not one he'd spent a lot of time seriously considering. Masahiro's eyebrows pulled together for just a second before his face smoothed back into a smile.

"I can see why Aiichirou looks up to you as a Captain then, continuing will require a lot of dedication," it almost sounded like he was almost musing to himself, casting a glance over at Ai with a thoughtful hum. "He was so proud of the little award you gave him too."

Ai's cheeks flushed at that, his fingers curling a little tighter around the edge of the table as he glanced up, quirking his lips into a forced smile. "Ah- That was from Mikoshiba-bucho..."

Rin raised an eyebrow but decided not to point out that he'd helped Sejiuurou make the decision. Instead, he tilted his head with a little smile and a shrug. "He got what he earned, really. It's a pretty big team, but Ai always stands out."

He enjoyed the way Ai's cheeks went just a little pinker at that, glancing up at Rin with a real smile. He meant it, of course, he'd never given Ai a compliment just to placate him. Ai didn't have that kind of ego, but sometimes he needed to be reminded that he was good to begin with. 

"I suppose he would have to at a school like Samezuka. I wasn't aware that the teams frequently had omega's as competitors," there was a smirk on the end of that statement and Ai curled his shoulders inwards just a little. It was noticeable, especially with the way it made Akihiko sit straighter and narrow his eyes. Rin could read the reaction easy enough, even if he wasn't sure what the remark meant.

"Whoever's the best suited goes really," Rin shrugged once more. "Since Samezuka's open policy we don't make any consideration for status when roster's get picked."

"How novel. It is a poor preparation for things beyond school I think, to act as though we're all the same," he chuckled lowly, raising an eyebrow as Rin shifted to sitting a little straighter.

"I don't believe anything is a replacement for hard work, status included," he wanted to reach out and squeeze Ai's hand once more but decided against it reluctantly. He couldn't gauge how this was going as a first impression, but both Ai and Akihiko had asserted that it didn't really matter. The former was still picking uncomfortably through his food, a small frown on his face while the latter was openly glaring at Masahiro, both arms resting on the table.

"I suppose this is what you meant when you said swimming wasn't a waste of your time, Aiichirou?" There was genuine laughter through that sentence and Ai lifted his head, frown only getting deeper. He hesitated at the question, shaking his head softly.

"I-it wasn't- I didn't stay on the team because of Rin-senpai," he spoke after a moment, voice trailing off into a mumble. Rin tensed a little, raising an eyebrow curiously. Had Ai considered quitting before? He'd never mentioned it, Rin was sure he'd remember having that conversation. "I wasn't trying to cause any trouble, sir."

"Well at least there's that," Masahiro snorted a little, seeming somewhat amused by Ai's answer. Akihiko clamped his hands into fists, eyebrows settling lower over his eyes. Masahiro glanced at him and chuckled quietly, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"Plenty," Akihiko snorted out, shaking his head a little. He glanced at Ai and sighed just a little, his expression was not easing. "Just get to whatever point you're trying to make."

"Perhaps I'm just trying to get to know your brothers... friend," he smirked a little wider at the term, tilting his head at Akihikio's growl.

"Bullshit," he shook his head sharply, sitting up fully now. "You're sitting there laughing at Ai and I'm sick of hearing it."

"I wonder which one of you makes the other so insolent," he shook his head, leaning back in the chair with a heavy sigh. "I would have said it was you, previously, as your little rebellions are near to being constant. But this, if nothing else, is an impressively loud rebellion."

"S-sir I'm not-" Ai's face was pale, glancing between Masahiro and Akihiko a little desperately. He shook his head quickly, teeth worrying his lower lip. "My intention wasn't to be rebellious..."

"If this is your idea of respect it seems there's a longer list of things you've failed to learn than I thought," Masahiro shook his head and Ai's cringe was visible, curling into himself like he was hoping to vanish from the conversation entirely. Masahiro surveyed his posture for a second before nodding. "I suppose all that's left is for us to find a way to correct the situation you've created."

Ai nodded miserably, reaching out and taking Rin's hand on his own now. Rin squeezed it in return, trying to absorb some of the anxiety rolling off Ai's shoulders in neon colored waves. 

“Very well then- since your impulsive choices destroyed the chance we had to make an ally out of Watabe we'll have to call one of the other families your mother interviewed. Hopefully, Watabe holds to his word of not spreading this around,” Masahiro huffed, glancing at their hands clinging together. “This is of course contingent on your brother continuing with his studies as arranged and with you finding a more suitable club activity.”

“W-wait I,” Ai shook his head hard, lifting it up so quickly it hurt. “Sir I d-don't want to get married. Or quit swimming.”

Akihiko gave a kind of growling agreement, sitting straight and tense in his seat. Masahiro raised an eyebrow, pausing to wipe his mouth before folding his hands together on the table.

“Your stunt made that abundantly clear Aiichirou,” he shook his head, eyeing Rin for a moment. “But I clearly didn't call you here to give you my blessing in disgracing my name.”

He glanced at Rin again and smirked before continuing. “It is obvious the school you selected has given you a rather warped impression of society that I very much plan to correct. After this year ends I'll be sending you to an appropriate finishing school instead.”

Ai blinked furiously, looking shell-shocked for a moment before his face went hard as stone. “My relationship with Rin isn't a stunt of any kind. I made a choice; this is what I want.”

Rin almost smiled at the defiant tilt of the omega's chin. He squeezed their hands tighter together, watching Masahiro's face grow just as cold.

“Very well. I can also call your school tomorrow and transfer you to an appropriate school immediately if you don't elect to dissolve your union and continue as I've directed. I'll leave that choice to you since you're so ready to make them for yourself. The dean of Seien's omega academy is an old friend, it won't be a problem.”

"If you do I'll refuse to inherit," Akihiko snapped, tension running like a tight wire through his voice. Masahiro raised an eyebrow, staring at the younger alpha for a long moment before chuckling and shaking his head slowly.

"I seem to have given you the impression somewhere along the line that you are required in terms of succession," his smirk grew wider as Akihiko hesitated. "You have six cousins who are all alpha's and more suited to carrying on the Nitori name than you are yourself Akihiko. You should have considered lucky to have the chance at all. Perhaps it would be better to separate the two of you entirely for some time- I'll call your mother and have her make space for you."

He left Akihiko staring like the whole world had just crashed down around him, turning back to Ai with the same cold smile. "Now, I did promise to return your friend in time for his classes tomorrow. Mei!"

He looked over his shoulder as he barked the maids name, smiling as she came walking out in street clothes instead. There was no respect in the look she gave him though Masahiro seemed entirely unruffled by the glare, smiling at her all the same. "Please escort Matsuoka-san back to the station, after that you are free for the rest of the evening. I'm assuming that Akihiko will be climbing out his window once again, do try to make sure he returns in one piece."

Mei quirked an eyebrow before nodding and crossing her arms as she looked over at Rin. "C'mon Trouble-kun."

Rin didn't move until Ai popped to his feet, quivering with a mixture of rage and anxiety that Rin could feel rebounding through the bond. His stomach turned as he stood as well, not bothering to bow or nod his head at the host, letting Ai half drag him back into the front room with Mei following a few steps behind. She glanced at Ai's face once before shuffling them both outside and clicking the door shut. She already had Rin's bag over her shoulder, probably having anticipated the result of the conversation. She gave Ai a tight nod before walking to the end of the walkway and pulling her phone out. Even if she wasn't far enough away to truly give them privacy the illusion was appreciated. 

Ai was still quivering when Rin pulled him into a hug, unshed tears shining in his eyes in a way that made Rin's chest ache. He rubbed up and down Ai's back, hesitating for a moment before speaking as well. "I don't know well enough to be able to tell if he's bluffing..."

"He's not," Ai shook his head, pressing his forehead against Rin's chest to hide his face. "It- if I don't agree with what he wants he can't do anything to actually force me to sever the relationship."

"R-right but Ai..." Rin blinked, shaking his head and squeezing the omega's shoulders. "You don't- you have friends at Samezuka, and even if you're not on the team I'm not gonna move you out of our block of rooms. It'll just be like before."

"I-if I agree to that I'm handing my whole life over Rin," Ai's voice was thick and it was becoming more and more of a struggle for Rin not to break down crying as well. 

Ai swallowed hard once before lifting his head away from Rin's chest, lip swollen from his teeth worrying into it before smiling slowly. It was too tight, like if Ai eased his expression at all it would crumple entirely. "I know I can't make you agree if you don't want to, but.."

He hesitated, lifting Rin's hand to press his fingers against the bite on the side of his neck, eyes fluttering closed for just a second. Rin cupped his fingers and rubbed it gently with his thumb, leaning forward to balance his head against Ai's, their lips hovering close together. "This is mine, and since no one else can take it away I want to keep it."

Rin nodded slowly, tightening his arm around Ai's back and kissing him softly before nodding his head. He was still reluctant to agree, the idea of Ai suddenly being gone from his comforting room across the hall was painful. But he'd trusted what Ai said he wanted this far, and Rin certainly didn't back down from challenges. Nor did he want to see the omega give up. It took several minutes to actually pull himself away from Ai, holding on even after Mei insisted that he was going to miss his train.

"Alright alright, Trouble-kun. I will make sure he calls you tomorrow," she nudged Rin's ribs with an elbow after Ai finally shut the door behind him, nodding him down the street toward the station. "Seien is only an hour away, I go there too."

"That's- oddly comforting," Rin would've chuckled if his mood wasn't so bleak. Instead, he gave her a closed mouth smile. "How far away is Ai's mom?"

"Kyoto, I think. I haven't actually seen her in years. Even if her and Nitori-san are still together they don't really speak much," she shrugged, sighing hard. "Aki is going to be so pissed, I'm almost glad he'll be gone for awhile. If he was stuck here I don't think he'd make it a week without trying to fight Nitori-san."

Rin cringed a little, scratching the back of his head. "This is not going to be fun to explain."

"I don't imagine so," she sighed, stopping at the turnstile and tugging her phone from the pocket of her jeans again. "I'll watch out for Ai though, I wasn't kidding when I said I was a better fighter than Aki. Don't worry about him too much Trouble-kun."

"No hope of getting rid of that nickname?" Rin rolled his eyes a little, settling himself to dealing with it just like he did 'Rinrin'. Mei laughed at that, shaking her head.

"After that thrilling family dinner? I don't think so," she shook her head a little before waving and walking back the way they'd come, leaving Rin to board the train alone. He was glad it was late enough that he had the car mostly to himself, the pair of young girls wisely decided not to bother the alpha crying at the very back of the car.

His room was mercifully empty by the time he got back, and without pausing to wonder where Sousuke was he crashed into bed, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes and trying hard not to think of anything at all. It was almost worse that he could still faintly feel Ai through the connection, a sort of distant longing that chewed at the bottom of his heart like an infestation of termites. He knew in the morning he'd have to explain why Ai hadn't come back with him, have to stand by and help whoever came to pack up all the personal things in his room and cart them off to his new room. 

Tonight he was glad to be alone with the black cloud hanging over him, forcing his eyes shut for a moment before deciding there was no chance of sleep. Instead, he dug around the darkened room until he found his gym back, looping it over his shoulder and walking with it down to the pool. He changed without caring about the wrinkles in his suit, ripping the tie off his neck so hard it almost burned. He took a deep breath before diving in, swimming until all he could feel was the persistent burn in his muscles.

Sousuke was there when he finally dragged himself out of the pool, groaning loudly in protest when Rin opened the door. He sat up in the top bunk, tilting his head as Rin flicked on the light and rubbing at his eyes.

"Did you two just get back?" He grumbled, blinking in surprise at the still damp jammers on Rin's legs. He looked like he expected Ai to step out from around him and seemed surprised when he pushed the door shut again. "Or did you already put Ai to bed and then go for a swim?"

He sounded somewhere between confused and skeptical, sighing a little when Rin mutely shook his head, gripping more tightly to the strap of the bag. He slid off the top bunk, taking it out of Rin's hands and nodding, dropping it next to the closet. "Alright, put on something dry and then tell me what's going on."

Rin grunted before complying, sitting on his own bed to explain the day (redacting the instances where he had cried, Sousuke could fill those in on his own anyway). In the end, Sousuke was slumped over in one of the desk chairs, no longer struggling to keep his eyes open, mouth in a tight line. 

"So he's really not coming back at all?" He asked after a moment of processing, sighing hard as Rin nodded slowly, pushing his head into his hands again. Sousuke nodded quietly, seeming to weigh all of his words carefully in his mind. "What're you going to do?"

"I'm not gonna dump him over it... He- I dunno, I guess he was trying to say that I could but," Rin shook his head with a groan. "That's part of the reason he's doing it at all, it's not like I expected shit to be easy."

"Can't say I expected his family to just yank him out in the middle of the year either," Sousuke snorted, shaking his head a little. Rin nodded, flopping back on the bed with a frown on his face. He stared at the bars above his head before throwing his arm over his face.

"Fuck. How's Momo then?" He grinned at being almost able to hear the way Sousuke stiffened for a second, barking out a laugh.

"It's hard to deal with that much energy and be subtle at the same time," he grumbled, frowning at Rin when he peeked out from under his arm. He was almost smiling at least and Sousuke leaned his elbows on his knees. "He's gonna be upset too. He really liked living with Nitori."

"I should go pick up his desk tomorrow before they start packing it, I know what stuff he wanted to keep," he sighed, dropping his arm over his face again after catching Sousuke's stoic nodding. Sousuke stood after another long moment of Rin laying quietly and flicked the light back off, kicking his ankle before climbing up to the top bunk and falling asleep again quickly. Rin followed not long after, hands clenching into fists around his pillow.

~

Ai was not excited to start a new school in the middle of the term. It took two days for all his things to be moved from Samezuka to Seien, leaving Ai thanking the small gift that Mei would actually be his roommate. He didn't mind new people in general, but now all the introductions were just a reminder that he'd been yanked away from somewhere he was just starting to really fit in. 

Seien didn't have a swim team, or even a pool on campus. Instead, Ai wound up joining the calligraphy club once his mother informed him that it was a 'dignified pursuit'. The phone call from her was still preferable to Momo's confused crying over the phone when a pair of his father's employees came to pack up his room without allowing him to go along. He'd been hoping to be able to actually explain to Momo in person what was going on, rather than trying to calm his bawling over the phone.

Sousuke had eventually come in and helped calm him down, which Ai was extremely glad for. Momo was generally very tactile, and trying to soothe him without being able to touch him at all wasn't the easiest task in the world. He'd started up a routine of talking to Rin as soon as practice was over every day, and only cringing a little when people stared at the bite mark inscribed on his neck. He still sometimes rubbed at it in class without thinking, feeling the way the blood under it synced with Rin's heartbeat rather than his own.

The two schools were close enough together that he could still feel connected to Rin, even if it was sometimes weak. He spent more time than he might have letting Mei talk him into nesting with her; throwing their considerable collection of pillows and blankets onto the floor and curling up in them. It was calming, of course, all nesting was, but he did miss Momo's skill for building nearly invincible pillow forts. During their last finals period Momo had built one that fit not only the two omegas but Kazuki, Takuya and Toru as well as the top half of Sousuke's body. Rin had wandered in on them all huddled inside it, taking advantage of the way Ai and Momo's scent clinging to everything soft in the room made it the most relaxed place in the teams block of rooms and demanded to take a picture of Sousuke hanging half-in half-out of their structure.

He only tried to build his own fort once, sighing when it collapsed in on itself before he could even crawl inside and sending a picture to Momo for posterity. It was hard not to miss the team, during his first year Ai had really only known Rin, Sejiuurou and the teams other omega Dai, but during the last year he'd branched out and become friends with most of the members. He even texted Sousuke on some occasions, as much as he knew the other alpha could stand. Nagisa and Rei somehow got hold of his number; Nagisa constantly sending him pictures of cats with words pasted on top that were meant to be inspirational, Rei making overly formal attempts to check on his well-being. 

It was a tough adjustment, but not an impossible one. He managed to avoid any actual conversations about the obvious mark on his neck until a blonde girl he vaguely recognized as being someone Mei knew bumped into him on his way to lunch, smiling wide and toothy.

“Hey! You're Matsukawa's mate, right?” She asked, then paused, seeming to think hard about it. “Wait, that's not right...”

“M-Matsuoka,” he provided quietly, trying to ignore the instinct to run from the conversation. Rin wasn't a secret, even if he was trying to avoid having to explain more than he did, in fact, have a mate, and he knew he hadn't gone giving out Rin's name. She seemed to catch on to his nerves, waving a hand with a smile.

“My cousin is on the team, I recognized you from your tournaments,” she smiled, tucking hair behind her ear. “Yurika Nakagawa, I haven't had a chance to actually talk to you yet.”

“Oh, you're Shouta-kun's cousin then?” Ai smiled a little wider at that, feeling far more at ease. She nodded, scratching her head with a bright smile.

“He's not very good, huh? He said your first-year backstroke swimmer was a monster,” she batted a hand in the air as if waving his complaints away completely. “I remembered that you seemed close to the captain though. I was really surprised you transferred, I had to double check with Yoshimi-chan to make sure you were the same person.”

“Momo-kun is a monster in more ways than that. He was my roommate,” Ai rolled his eyes, walking with her to lunch and shrugging his shoulders at the second comment, simply humming softly in reply. She seemed more than content to stray from the topic, chatting about the other members of the swim team she had met and telling jokes about Shouta. Ai traipsed back to his room at the end of the day to call Rin feeling like this may not be the worst thing to happen in life, even if only by a slim margin.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know I said 11 chapters, but this was only half finished at 9,000 words and I promised 11 would go up today. Enjoy!

The next few months began to blur by Ai. Seien was easy enough to settle into, even if it never felt like more than a prison full of nice inmates. Yurika attached herself to Ai's side, dragging him out on the weekends when Rin was too busy to come and visit, which came more and more as the competitive season kicked into full swing. He still made time to call each night, voice hitting varying octaves of exhaustion.

“You're picking the final relay team this week, aren't you?” Sometimes talking about the team as a whole made him feel a little more included like he was still there with them. Rin huffed a sigh.

“I think it's gonna be Uozumi and Iwashimizu. Momo's times have been... lackluster in practice and I can't count on the tournament giving him a boost,” there was something distant in his voice that Ai couldn't place right away.

Ai frowned slightly, nodding his head. It was foolish to feel like Toru Iwashimizu had taken something away from him and he pushed it to the back of his mind.

“Toru-kun will have to work a lot on his speed after the turn. He doesn't have the kind of burst Nagisa-kun does.”

Rin hummed thoughtfully, and Ai could hear him thumbing through the folder of times he kept at his desk. “He hasn't really raced Nagisa much, maybe I should ask Gou about doing another joint practice.”

“I thought she said calling them just to prep the team for races against her team was cheating,” Ai giggled softly, rolling his eyes as the alpha snorted.

“Well, whatever. How's your painting club?” Rin's tone was teasing, but Ai groaned loudly in response.

“Calligraphy is the most boring thing ever,” Ai huffed dramatically, shaking his head and curling around his pillow. One of Rin's older shirts had replaced the case that it used to have and Ai nuzzled against the soft fabric. “The manager of the volleyball club is retiring early though and he asked if I wanted to take over.”

“Volleyball?” Rin sounded skeptical of the sports very existence, a shuffling sound echoing through the phone before he laughed. “I can't picture you with anything but swimming.”

“Well I won't be playing,” Ai sighed a little, mostly because he couldn't really picture it either. Rin hummed again, the sound cut off sharply by a yawn.

“Yeah. You're practically managing our team already,” he could hear the tired angles of Rin's smile and Ai pushed his face harder against the pillow. “I guess I'll have to learn to share your expertise.”

“I mean I don't really know that much about volleyball, I may not be of much use,” Ai rolled over, staring at the bed above him and sighing. “I didn't even decide if I was going to do it yet.”

“Mmm, I think you will. It's not like you wanna stick with painting,” the sharpness was back to Rin's smile and Ai could picture it when he closed his eyes. “Besides, Gou can't even swim and she does a great job with her team.”

“Your sister really can't swim? I thought that was just a joke,” Ai chuckled softly, his eyes popping open again as Mei walked in with a smile and a heavy bruise over her right eye. With anyone else it would be concerning to see, with Mei it was a surprise there wasn't blood somewhere. Ai just waved after eyeing the bruise dubiously for a moment.

“Nope. She never let me teach her. Sousuke either,” Rin laughed, the sound trailing off with yet another yawn. Ai rolled his eyes a little and went back to hugging the pillow.

“You should go to sleep Rin-senpai,” he cooed, smiling as he rest his cheek on the pillow and picked at a stray thread on his sheets.

“That's the other reason you should be a manager,” Rin laughed softly but didn't expand.

“Because you're tired?” Ai asked after a pause, trying not to laugh at the almost audible roll of Rin's eyes.

“No, smart-ass. Because you act like everyone's mom,” Rin laughed and Ai did as well, blinking at the creak of the bed that signalled Mei climbing into her bunk. Ai considered following her up there to see if she could be talked into nesting with him but decided against it after a moment.

“Well then I'm ordering you to go to bed or I'll ground you,” Ai retorted, smiling as that even earned a distant chuckle from Mei above him. Rin sighed like he was giving in.

“Well, if you're going to make threats I guess I won't argue,” Rin's tone dimmed just a little. “I'm sorry I can't come this weekend. You can still make it to regionals, right?”

“Yeah, I'll be there,” he assured softly, trying to ignore the disappointed sting in the middle of his chest. He didn't share his dejection with Rin, it wasn't his fault that there were other things to do.

“Okay good. Night Ai,” it was almost a coo, filled with such fond affection that it eased Ai at least a little.

“Sweet dreams Senpai,” Ai responded, squeezing the phone a little tighter as the line clicked off. He shut the phone with a sigh, setting it on the nightstand and looking at the bed above him. “Where did you go and who did you hit?”

“Setsuna and I went off-campus and some drunk alpha was hitting on her,” Mei leaned over the edge of the bed with a grin, folding her arms under her chin. “So I just returned the favor, really. This is nothing.”

“You're incorrigible,” Ai shot back, shaking his head before climbing up the ladder to flop down next to her. She wrapped him in a hug without pause, rolling her eyes.

“Missing Trouble-kun again?” It was a tease but Ai still nodded his head with a whine. She chuckled softly, pushing him back to sitting up and forming a messy nest of blankets around the both of them. The space was small so Ai squeezed a little closer, pillowing his head on one of Mei's legs and closing his eyes.

“They're picking the relay members,” he sighed hard, crossing his arms over his stomach and letting Mei card her fingers through his hair. “I still wish I could've had that spot.”

“You could have,” Mei responded with a shrug. She didn't tend to sugarcoat things and Ai nodded. 

“Maybe,” even if he had stayed at Samezuka he probably wouldn't be swimming anymore. Even if he was still swimming there was no promise that he could have earned the spot on his own. She sighed a little as she continued petting his head, shaking hers.

“You boys are the worst you know,” there was a smile in her voice but when Ai opened his eyes there wasn't one on her face. Instead she frowned softly, shaking her head. “You and your brother both.”

“What'd Aki do this time?” He asked with a soft smile, wishing dimly that he'd brought his pillow up too. Mei sighed hard, leaving her hand on the side of Ai's head, twisting one lock of silver hair around her finger.

“Young Master got into a fight with his team captain,” she rolled her eyes at Ai's unimpressed expression. “A bad one. Idiot broke his hand on the captain's face.”

“How'd the captain's face make out?” He groaned as Mei shook her head, closing his eyes again. “That's the third club he's gotten kicked out of.”

“I doubt it will be the last,” she intoned with a little huff, still twisting Ai's hair around her fingers. “You're free this weekend then?”

“Mmm, I guess,” Ai agreed, the constant petting making his thoughts slow and sleepy. Mei nodded her head, shifting so she was laying next to Ai instead of under him. "We'll take you out and do something fun then."

Ai nodded with a little yawn, dozing off with Mei curled up next to him, fingers still curled into his hair. 

 

Saturday dawned bright and warm, one of the first true summer days they had so far. It made Ai want to curl up in bed and refuse to leave his bed for the whole day. It only conjured up the painful memory of preparing for tournaments that he couldn't do anything more than attend. Mei wasn't in the room when he woke up and Ai sighed as he nuzzled his pillow closer to his face, closing his eyes once again. She and Yurika had promised to take him out for the day to make sure he wasn't spending his time moping over not being able to see Rin, even if it was all he wanted to do really. 

He had agreed to work with the volleyball team, something that had made all three of them happy, even if it made nerves coil in the center of Ai's stomach. They didn't expect him to be good at it right away, of course, but it was like returning to struggling his way up in the swim club all over again and it came with all the same fears. Rin's assurance was almost breezy, like he thought Ai's concern about letting a new team down was some kind of modesty rather than a genuine fear.

It had been nagging at him more and more intensely since the night of the disastrous dinner with his family; the feeling that he wouldn't ever quite be good enough, not just in his father's eyes but for anything. The thought made Ai squeeze his eyes shut more tightly and grip his hands into fists around the pillow. It had been easier before the transfer, even if his poor self-esteem had sometimes aggravated the alpha, he didn't tire of trying to make Ai feel just a little bit better. His improvement in swimming had helped as well, giving him some kind of concrete number by which he could measure.

His lungs started to feel too small in the space of his chest, like no matter how deeply or quickly he tried to breathe they would never fill all the way again. He could hear the door click open but it was with distant awareness and he didn't open his eyes. It wasn't until he felt someone lift him to sitting upright that he did, surprised at the damp feeling on his cheeks. He had been so preoccupied with trying to pull in enough air, the concern that if he didn't he would suffocate, that he hadn't noticed the tears. Mei's face swam blurry in his vision as she wiped the tears away and gave his shoulders a little shake.

"Ai-chan, hey, what's wrong?" Her voice was calmer than expected, her grip grounding Ai's focus a little further. He just shook his head, still trying to find the rhythm of breathing in and out again. Her understanding seemed to click into place because she grabbed both of his hands in hers and nodded her head. "You're okay. I want you to breathe in nice and slow when I squeeze, okay?"

Ai nodded, drawing air in the whole time she held tight onto his hands. He released the breath when her hands eased, repeating the pattern until it no longer felt like the world was spinning too fast around him. Ai was still panting slightly, swallowing thickly and using the back of his arm to wipe the remaining tears away from his face. "S-sorry."

"Don't be," Mei rolled her eyes, a relieved smile on her face. He pet his hair lightly out of sheer habit before standing and turning to grab the bag she'd walked in carrying off the desk, quirking an eyebrow. "You can tell me what's wrong over breakfast."

"Ah- Mei," his cheeks flushed a little, shifting so he was sitting on his knees in the middle of the bed, leaving space for her to join him. Her smile softened as she pulled out food and she shrugged a little.

"Or you can just eat with me," she offered and Ai breathed a small sigh of relief, nodding and taking the carton she offered and eating in a sort of sullen wrap of silence. She didn't mention any plans for later until they had already finished their food and Ai had moved to studying at his desk. Her phone chimed sweetly and Ai lifted his head from the book he was mostly reading, raising an eyebrow.

"That Yuri?" He asked, turning halfway in his chair as she nodded. Knowing the two of them they had some kind of plan already, and usually he was glad for it. He didn't know many of the off-campus attractions and they seemed more than thrilled with the chance to show him the city.

"Yeah. Are you okay with going out still?" Her voice was hesitant as she asked, phone in one hand and his sheets in the other. He rolled his eyes at the sight but decided not to be annoyed with her for playing maid this time. He tried to be neater with her than he was when living with Rin or Momo because she still acted like it was her obligation to pick up after him. He nodded in response to her question, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile.

"I'm really okay Mei-chan," he offered and she didn't seem convinced. He wasn't surprised, it was the third panic attack she'd calmed him down from this week. He was capable of doing it himself, but she seemed to have some kind of sense and always came back when he was still hyperventilating and confused. She didn't argue it further, returning to the text she'd started before piling his blankets into her arms.

"Whatever you say. Are we doing laundry today or tomorrow?" 'We' seemed to mean Mei doing it herself and Ai shrugged his shoulders, glancing at the mostly full hamper.

"Tomorrow, I'll help you fold," he responded, smiling and turning back to his work as she scoffed at him. His folding was terrible, and she made no attempt to hide her offense at his inability. "Where are we going with Yuri?"

The question almost made him cringe. He liked Yurika, her energy reminded him of spending time with Nagisa or Momo, but it also meant she was another force to be reckoned with. She was the favorite for captaining the volleyball team once the season ended and seemed thrilled he wanted to help. She was a talented spiker, despite her modest height; mostly due to her drive to get everything as close to perfect as possible. Mei shrugged, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Clubbing," she intoned flatly, almost sighing. There were several clubs scattered around the school, partially driven by the constant flood of bored omega's sneaking off school grounds in hope of something fun to do with their evenings. Yurika loved it, the loud music and dancing; Mei almost inevitably wound up in a fight with someone too handsy or who said something she decided she didn't like. It was almost a surprising bonus to Ai that the prominent red bite on the side of his neck seemed to dissuade the vast majority of alpha's from approaching him at all, like they expected his mate to constantly be hovering just out of sight.

Ai wished that were true at all, instead of him being too far away to see on a regular basis. Mei seemed to sense the morose turn of his thoughts because she dropped the sheets in favor of her phone. "I can tell her no."

"N-no, clubbing is fine," he smiled and it didn't feel strangled on his face. She nodded in return, tucking the phone in her pocket and sweeping out of the room with a hum. Ai shuffled his phone out of his pocket with a little sigh, thumbing the screen on and flopping to lay flat on his books and texting Rin quickly. 'theyre dragging me out again. send help'

'aww, you had fun last time!' The response was almost immediate and Ai was glad that he didn't catch Rin while he was in the middle of something.

'right up until mei-chan started throwing punches.' Ai sighed just a little, predicting a similar result to this outing. It wasn't that he was fond of allowing people to make vile comments at the three of them either, but it would be nice to go out at least once without being kicked out of an establishment. Last time an alpha had attempted to hit Mei with the half-empty glass bottle he had in his hand, and on someone less well-trained than Mei it might have been a real danger. Ai sighed softly and turned back to his books, pushing a hand back through his hair.

 

The major drawback of letting Yurika select what club they went to was that she had a desire to rebel against anything that people deemed appropriate, and so they ended up in the middle of the city at an establishment that seemed overpacked already, a line spilling out of the entrance and crawling its way toward the corner. Ai let Mei stand between him and the people winding by, their arms linked together. Yurika was bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to see over the head of the dark-haired beta standing in front of her. The man didn't seem to notice until Mei knocked her elbow into the blonde omega's ribs, sending her stumbling forward a step while she rubbed at her side.

"Mean!" She wheeled, sticking her tongue out. Mei rolled her eyes, glancing at an alpha that slowed a little as he walked past the three of them. Yurika's outfits for clubbing always involved extremely short skirts and shirts that revealed her toned stomach. She liked to dance and she certainly enjoyed garnering a little attention while she did it. Mei hadn't changed at all from her dark jeans and a loose shirt, hair braided to the side, looking like she did on any given day.

Ai had let Yurika talk him into a tightly fitted pair of shorts after she heaped compliments on the build of his legs, selecting a shirt with a cartoon shark on the front to go with it. It didn't take very long for the three of them to get inside, glowing stamps printed onto the back of their hands. Ai refused to let go of Mei's arm as the crowd packed tighter around them, Yurika nearly shoving her way through the press of bodies until they were at a small booth in the back. Ai sat on the outside, despite Mei's frown as he did.

It wasn't dim enough that people would miss the mark on his neck, and it might prevent her from getting into yet another fight. The bruise over her eye was mostly gone, not that she ever seemed to pay any mind to the injuries she got. Yurika surveyed the spot with a satisfied nod before turning towards the writhing pool of bodies in the middle of the room.

"I'm going to leave you two to be boring now," she giggled before bouncing off, Mei sighing expansively. Ai turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, pausing before his mouth curved up into a small smile.

"Did you hear from Aki today?" He wasn't entirely clear what relationship she had with his brother at this point, but it seemed like she was slightly more annoyed than usual and he usually had a hand in that. Her face soured a little, proving he was right at least in part.

"Your brother is on a date tonight," her voice was almost a grumble and Ai's brow furrowed a little. Akihiko wasn't really one for casual dating, at least as far as he knew.

"Who with?" He asked after a moment, tilting his head as Mei's face settled into a scowl.

"Some omega your mother set him up with," it was a snap and Ai's eyebrows rose dramatically.

"Why is he-" he started before sighing hard, shaking his head. "I told him not to do that."

"I know you did. Your father is still trying to talk him into some kind of deal it seems, even if he told Akihiko he wasn't required," her shoulders slumped a little and Ai frowned. It wasn't often that she gave in and actually used his name, usually it was 'your brother' or 'Young Master'.

"It's not the first date he's been on," Ai inferred, shaking his head as Mei's eyes flicked away like she was looking for a different answer to the question. "I'll call him tomorrow then."

"He just wants to stick you and Trouble-kun back together," she offered, glancing at Ai then looking at the pair of alpha's on either side of Yurika with a dark scowl. The blonde didn't seem put off by them at all, catching Mei's glance and waving a hand dismissively. Mei relaxed if only slightly, not quite taking her eyes off of them as she spoke again. "I think you two would be better cutting your father out entirely."

"I know. I just-" Ai frowned, resting his chin on the table and trying to will the booming beat of his heart in his chest. "I still want to make him proud of me."

"Ai-chan," Mei reached out and stroked his hair, smiling softly. "It's not worth it."

"You both keep saying that," Ai argued weakly, leaning his head toward the soft touch of her hand. "But Aki thinks that because he already had it."

"You could've," she pointed out with a small sigh. "You could've stuck with Watabe and left Trouble-kun out of it. You could've agreed to cut Trouble-kun off entirely."

"Is it wrong of me to want both?" Ai asked a little meekly, his hands curling into fists in his lap. Mei shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"If you had been sired by someone with a heart it wouldn't be a problem in the first place. It's not you that's the issue Ai-chan," she sounded confident until Ai's gaze slid away. She sighed quietly in response, curling one silver lock around her fingers before shaking her head. "Do you wanna go dance with Yuri?"

"Mei-chan you hate dancing," he pointed out a little bleakly, already sliding himself out of the booth. It was true, but he wasn't going to turn it down if she was actually offering. Mei gave him a shrug in response, sliding herself out.

"No, I just don't like sweaty strangers trying to touch me," she snorted in return, clearly trying to ignore the way Yurika's face lit up at the both of them joining her. She nearly clung to Ai, leaving Mei to snarl at anyone approaching that she decided she didn't like the look of. She continued until she decided she was tired of dancing, weaving her way back to the booth with her phone in hand, making Ai suspect that Akihiko might have finished with his date just a little early.

Yurika didn't seem put off, her hands spread warm over Ai's hips as she moved them together, tilting her head back with a laugh. Despite his previous glum mood, Ai quickly lost himself in her enthusiasm, letting her lead him through dancing with a smile on his face. It was turning out to be a nice evening all in all, until he caught sight of a familiar face entering the already packed club. He tensed so dramatically that he almost sent Yurika stumbling, both her eyebrows shooting up as she looked over her shoulder in an attempt to follow his gaze.

"What's wrong?" She was practically shouting in his ear to be heard over the music, but Ai couldn't process it over the sound of his heart hammering in his own ears. He couldn't remember where Dayu had said he was going to school, but this was the last place that he actually expected to run into him. He hadn't expected to see him again at all, really. Yurika's brow furrowed further, giving his hips another nudge to try and get his attention. "Ai! Hey- breathe okay. What's going on?"

He couldn't hear the rattling of his breath, but the squeezing hand in the center of his chest was familiar. He couldn't tell if Dayu had seen him yet or not when he stumbled out of Yurika's grasp, turning and floundering his way through the crowd away from both of them. He bumped into a few people who seemed not to take notice at all, stumbling out the back door with a ragged panting leaving his lungs. He coughed at the smoke-thickened air the filled the back alley of the club, two of the smokers standing outside staring at him a little strangely.

Ai was caught between the desire to collapse there and try to regain himself, and putting as much distance as possible between himself and Dayu. He wasn't certain what he found so terrifying about the alpha. It was a sharp reminder of just how badly he'd failed at the duty his family had set before him, and with a throaty whimpering sound he pushed himself away from the wall and around the corner.

Calm found him several confused turns away, leaning against the wall of a closed shop with his hands curled into tight fists. It was a tenuous kind of calm, like a half cut rope still holding up a bridge, and it was failing as he looked around and realized that he had no idea where he was. With a hard swallow, he pulled out his phone, letting his fingers dial without really thinking about who he was trying to call.

It was several rings before a sleepy voice answered. "A-Ai?"

"R-Rin?" He felt just as confused as his mate sounded, blinking his eyes furiously. He hadn't considered calling Yurika or Mei, both of whom were probably looking for him. His fingers pushed against the bond mark on the side of his neck, feeling the previously steady beating of Rin's heart pick up sharply as he stepped over the threshold into full wakefulness.

"Ai, is everything okay?" He asked slowly, stifling a yawn. Ai hesitated, teeth digging sharply into his lower lip.

"I-I think I got lost," he answered after a long moment, scrubbing at his eyes to try and stop himself from crying again. It felt like it didn't explain anything about the situation, the weight of his anxieties and inadequacies crushing further on him. He shouldn't be waking Rin up with this, he shouldn't have run away when there was a high chance Dayu wouldn't see him at all. "I'm n-not sure where I am."

It was cooler than he'd expected and his voice quivered a little as he shivered. He wasn't sure how long he'd spent wandering, but it was fully dark now. Rin grunted and there was a rustling on the other end like he was pushing himself upright. "Who were you with?"

"M-Mei and Yurika, w-we went to a club, but I don't know what the name was and I don't know how to get back there..." His voice was starting to rise into panic again as he struggled to explain, swallowing hard. Rin was quiet for a long moment and Ai could feel an extra bubble of concern bleed over.

"Okay okay, take a deep breath for me," he coached slowly. There was another low voice in the background, probably Sousuke. "Can you tell me why you left?"

"I-I saw Dayu-kun and I got scared," his cheeks flamed and he shook his head hard, gripping tighter on the phone. "I-I'm sorry Rin, I just panicked... I think I can find my way back."

"Don't be sorry, just try and calm down a little," he huffed a little sigh and Ai could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose like he did when Sousuke managed to get himself lost. "Is there a store you can go into?"

Ai pushed away from the wall, looking around and melting a little as he saw an open convenience store at the end of the block. "Y-yeah."

"Okay... Make sure you get the name of it before you go inside. Call Mei and tell her where you're at," Rin's calm was clearly strained and Ai mumbled the name of the store to himself as he pushed the door open, ignoring the beta clerk staring at him. He probably looked a wreck, his eyes puffy at the edges from crying. 

"I-I'm gonna call her, okay?" He mumbled after tucking himself in a corner towards the back, ignoring the fact that the coolers did nothing for the shivering he couldn't quite stop. Rin made a sound but hesitated.

"Alright. Just- make sure you text me," he sounded reluctant to hang up but Ai hummed in agreement. He ended the call and clicked Mei's number again, not surprised when she picked it up on the second ring.

"Ai-chan. Where are you?" Her voice was desperate and she sighed as Ai gave her the name of the store. He could hear her talking quickly to Yurika. "Okay, we're on the way. Less than 10 minutes, just... Don't run off on me again."

"I-I won't," he responded sheepishly, gripping the hem of his shirt in his fist and squeezing his eyes shut. She didn't say anything else before clicking off, and Ai gripped his phone tightly and continued pressing his thumb against the bond mark, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the beating of Rin's heart rather than the uncomfortable gathering of guilt and anxiety still in his gut.

It worked until the door jingled open once again. This time Ai could smell Dayu before he actually saw him, his nails digging sharply against the bond mark in surprise. He considered squishing further back in the aisle or going somewhere else and calling Mei once more but instead he sucked in a deep breath, trying to stand up straight for face him. It wasn't that Dayu actually scared him, but the thought of talking to him again sent Ai's heart fluttering uncomfortably in his chest.

Dayu actually smiled a little when he saw Ai though it dropped quickly when Ai reluctantly lifted his hand away from the mark on his neck. He wanted to keep feeling the connection thrumming under his fingers, rely on the steady beating of Rin's heart ot keep him calm. Dayu sighed just a little, shaking his head and raising an eyebrow.

"Am I going to get in trouble for talking to you?" He intoned, annoyance obvious. Ai shook his head slowly, gulping down another breath before he trusted his voice to say anything at all. "R-Rin-senpai isn't here."

"I heard," Dayu snorted just a little, cocking his head to the side like he couldn't decide how he wanted to approach Ai. "I didn't think that would be the kind of choice you would make."

"I'm sorry about your arm," Ai shrugged a little, the anxiety unwinding slowly. He didn't want to defend his choices anymore, he'd had enough of it between his parents and the other students that stared at his neck and whispered. It didn't matter if he told people why he'd been separated from his mate or not, they'd assume whatever they found most interesting was true. Dayu scoffed a little, shaking his head and Ai sighed. "I told you I wanted to live my own life."

"Is that what you're doing here?" He sounded disbeliving and Ai tilted his chin up just a little before nodding. He could have given in and gone back to Samezuka, back to sneaking around and keeping whatever he felt for Rin hidden like a dirty secret rather than 'disgracing the family.'

"It doesn't seem like it maybe, but this is my way of speaking out," he settled on, nodding his head with a confidence that he didn't quite feel. It would be a lie to say he didn't still want the chance to earn his father's forgiveness; to be a good son and still be with Rin. Dayu looked like he was about to argue that somehow, his brows settled low in annoyance, until Mei cleared her throat sharply behind him. He looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow then frowning when he recognized her.

"Yoshimi-san," it was almost a neutral greeting, but Mei simply rolled her eyes and elbowed her way past him, focused on Ai instead. 

"Ai-chan, are you okay?" She smiled a little when she nodded though her eyes were still dark, flicking back to look at Dayu with her lips drawn in a tight line. Ai tried to smile though it quivered on his face, jumping almost a foot when his phone chirped from his pocket. He fished it out with a small squeak, frowning as he realized he'd forgotten to text Rin. He flipped it open with a little tilt to his head, trying to ignore the day Dayu's lip curled in distaste.

"R-Rin! Mei just showed up, everything's okay," he started before Rin said anything, smiling a little at his relieved sigh on the other side. "You can go back to-"

He was cut off by the sudden, loud growl the reverberated out of the center of Dayu's chest. His hand tightened on the phone as both he and Mei turned to look up at the alpha and Ai could feel the owlish roundness of his eyes, the strength of it compelling him to fall back a step. Mei moved in front of him, glaring straight back at him.

"You don't wanna start a fight with me Watabe," her warning was low and confident, arms crossed over her chest. The way she had jokingly referred to herself as Akihiko's bodyguard seemed much more serious at this moment.

"He's fucking there now?" Rin's growl was so loud that it startled Ai a little and he nodded before realizing that Rin couldn't see it and humming weakly in response. A string of curses followed it, but Dayu was already looking at Mei with an evaluating eye before taking a step back and snorting sharply at her.

"Forgive me for not being a fan," he responded darkly, fingers twitching at his sides. Ai cringed a little as Mei didn't change her posture at all. No alpha liked backing down in the face of an omega, even if Mei managed to be commanding despite her status and size. "I'm in fact not starting a fight with anyone."

There was a dig in his voice on the word 'starting' that made Rin growl through the phone. Ai could hear the sound of rustling from him though he couldn't quite figure out what the alpha was doing. There was no low answer from Sousuke this time. "If he ways one more fucking thing to you I'm getting on a goddamn train."

That snapped Ai's attention back in a hurry and he found himself shaking his head with a sort of annoyed huff. “Would all three of you please calm down?”

He didn't realize he was shouting until Rin coughed in surprise and Mei actually broke her glaring contest with Dayu to stare at him in surprise. He let out a soft sigh, lowering his voice now that he seemed to have their attention.

“Rin-senpai, please go back to bed. You don't have to get on any train, and I know you have things to do tomorrow,” Rin didn't respond to the command right away, but he did stop moving around so furiously. Ai continued, looking at Mei with a raised eyebrow now. “Mei-chan, I need you to please step outside and check on Yuri." 

Ai smiled at her as peacefully as he could, ignoring the way her eyebrows shot up before she snorted and pushed her way past Dayu, making no attempt to be polite about it. Ai managed not to roll his eyes, ending the call when Rin had finally stopped grumbling at him. They were only going to create a far worse situation than this required, left to their own devices. Dayu raised an eyebrow at him when he looked up and smiled a little weakly.

"The two of them have a lot of personality, don't they?" He sighed, mostly to himself. Dayu actually snorted out a laugh at that, nodding slowly in agreement. Ai bit his lip softly, searching for the words he wanted for a moment. "I'm not sorry about not getting married."

"I didn't expect you to be," Dayu was almost smiling though he was standing too-straight still. "Good luck with getting what you want from your family."

Ai nodded his head, smiling softly and giving it a little bow before ducking his way past and out the door after Mei. He felt a little lighter than he had before, smiling at Mei's annoyed expression and letting Yurika link their arms together as they walked. She looked back at the door with an eager smile on her face.

"That was your fiancee?" Her voice had the perfect pitch for scandalized gossip and Ai nodded with a little sigh. She giggled, squeezing his arm and shaking her head with a little purr. "Ai-chan is such a rebel! Who knew!"

"I-I'm not a rebel," Ai rolled his eyes as he looked up at her, trying his hardest not to grin and failing. He might not be proud of how things had turned out, but it was exactly the sort of thing that would thrill Yurika to no end. She giggled again, shaking her head.

"So you decided you couldn't be with him because of your whirlwind romance with Matsuoka-kun?" Her smile broadened further as Ai nodded his head and he wondered if her cheeks hurt from grinning like that or if her muscles were stronger from how often she did it. "It's perfect for you, Ai-chan!"

"I wish it hadn't worked out like that," Ai shrugged, glancing at Mei as they stepped on the train. She didn't look upset anymore, instead settled into her role of glowering at anyone who was staring at their little group in a way that she didn't appreciate. Bodyguard did suit her far better than maid did. Yurika looked at him with eyes that were curiously prompting him to explain further and he hesitated before speaking again. "It- caused a lot of problems for other people. My father was really disappointed and moved me here and my brother to Kyoto, a-and I really wish that..."

Ai trailed off with a frown, drawing in a shallow breath and jolting a little in surprise when he felt Mei's hand on his lower back. She rolled her eyes at Yurika and snorted. "Nitori-san is an asshole."

"Ah- Mei-chan," Ai shook his head, biting down on his lip and pushing his fingers back through his hair slowly. "I've always wanted to make him proud of me, and I failed because I decided to mate with Rin-senpai."

"Okay, he does sound like an asshole," Yurika agreed neatly, flashing all her teeth in her smile again. Ai chuckled softly, leaning his head on her shoulder and rolling his eyes.

"You would agree with Mei-chan," he smiled even as he scolded her, glad when she started talking about something else without being prompted, leaving him to text Rin an assurance that everything was fine and they were headed back to school. He didn't realize how tired he was until the three of them stumbled back into the room he and Mei shared and he collapsed in the bed without even taking his shoes off.

He woke hours later to the barest wisps of light streaming through the window, surprised to find he had rolled the right way in the bed and that his shoes were now off. He attributed both of those facts to Mei and sat up with a little whine, feeling the pounding in his head suddenly. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes as he squeezed them shut. The headache wasn't a surprise after having two panic attacks the day before, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to have to deal with.

His body still felt heavy and tired as he pulled himself out of bed, digging through the small fridge in the corner of the room until he produced a cool bottle of water that he downed almost all at once. The thought of his bed was still inviting, but the ceaseless pounding behind his eyes didn't make sleep seem likely. Instead Ai sighed quietly to himself, changing into his running clothes instead. The sun was just starting to rise, meaning he could probably get quite a long run in before either Mei or Rin woke up to worry about him. He was glad for the quiet, tucking his headphones into his ears as he let himself out of the dorm, there were plenty of things that he wanted to think about.

 

Thinking takes him more time than just the two hours of morning running he gets in before his lungs feel like they're burning and he gives in and jogs back to the dorm just in time to wake Mei up by taking a shower. He spent most of the week turning questions over in his head while going through the motions of his routine. The volleyball team was nice and accepted him almost instantly. Akemi, the manager who invited him to join, didn't waste anytime in showing him the ropes of the team. It's not hard, and some of the things are even what he's already used to doing with the swim club. Rin forgot to call twice with regionals looming at the end of the week and Ai assured him over and over again that he wasn't upset about it.

They spend more time than usual discussing the team, Rin airing out all of his concerns like Ai was the only person he could trust with them. Ai was patient in listening as always, trying to give what pointers he could without seeing the performances for himself. It wasn't much; Rin had excellent instincts when it came to leading already and he didn't really need Ai to tell him how to give the team the last push that they needed. Mostly he advised Rin to stay empathetic with the team, not to forget about praising them for improvement. Rin might be able to live constantly pushing himself from goal to goal, but other people needed a little more motivation.

Uozumi was pulled from the relay at the last second after botching his race, Momo taking his place instead. He called Ai with an exuberance he'd never before seen for swimming from the other omega, his description of the race involving far more sounds than actual words. Ai smiled along, prodding gently for more information at every turn until Momo started describing Toru's performance against Nagisa.

"It was like, just- bam! You know, Nitori-senpai?" Momo grinned and Ai swallowed hard around the sudden lump in his throat. Toru had in fact beaten Nagisa by just a fraction, giving them the push they needed to win. It was a stinging reminder that Ai had never beaten Nagisa in a race. He frowned and even the hum of agreement he gave sounded strangled. Momo paused at that, and Ai could picture the furrow of his brow as he frowned. "You would've done even better."

"Th-thank you Momo-kun, but I'm glad to hear that Toru-kun was able to swim well with you all," the words were like glass and he shut his eyes tightly against the tears forming in them. He could've earned that spot, even if he hadn't mated with Rin or ever been made aware of the alpha's feelings for him, he would've worked however hard it took for the chance to swim in the relay with him. "I'm p-planning on attending prefectural's with Shouta-kun's cousin, so make sure you train hard!"

"Of course Nitori-senpai! I'll even beat Tachibana-kun next time since you'll be there to cheer me on!" Momo crowed, his concern and sadness forgotten for the moment. He hesitated, swallowing loudly enough for Ai to hear it through the phone. "Um, I have something else to tell you Senpai."

Ai blinked his eyes gently, surprised by the sudden shy tone of Momo's voice. "Is everything okay Momo-kun?"

"Well Sousuke-senpai was asking me about this, but I think you would know better than me," he took a sharp breath. "He and Rin are trying to pick out candidates for captain next year."

"Oh," Ai's brow furrowed, cocking his head as he thought through his former teammates. It was nothing Momo should have been so shy about asking. "I can look through and give Rin-senpai my recommendation, I'm surprised he didn't just ask me."

"He was gonna make you captain!" Momo blurted, almost cutting Ai off in his haste to get the sentence out. There was the barest pause, Momo talking so quickly again that he missed Ai's shocked gasp. "He- he told Sousuke it was supposed to be you, that he'd never thought about any other option because you're so good for the team."

Ai was silent for a long moment, twisting his fingers in his shirt and trying to absorb that. It was a bittersweet thing to hear; that Rin would even consider handing over the team to him, and that even if he felt that way it had been a chance ripped away from him. Ai bit down on his lip, the warbling feeling of tears starting to well up catching him once again. "I-I think Minami-kun could be a very good option if Rin-senpai starts giving him chances to grow into the role."

"Okay," Momo's voice was quieter than usual and Ai almost had to strain to hear it. He seemed lost for what else to say, and Ai would be amazed by it if he weren't so sad to hear it.

"It's alright Momo-kun," he assured just as quietly, tightening his hand into a fist and willing that to be true. He knew Momo was probably still on the bus back from the meet, one of the few people who didn't sleep through the rides. "Tell everyone I'm proud to hear they did well."

"I will," Momo's voice was resolute and Ai could hear the quiet rumble of Sousuke's voice behind him. “Good night Nitori-senpai.”

There was a rustling on the line, followed by an expansive yawn and Sousuke's tired rumbling. “Your team is going to a tournament next week, aren't they?”

“Ah, y-yes they are,” Ai smiled just a little, letting himself feel proud. He wasn't a player, but he wanted to think that his help had contributed a little. Sousuke hummed.

“Rin told me, I wanted to make sure to wish you luck,” he still sounded tired but at least a little more alert. Ai rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

“It's not like I play or anything, but I'll pass it on to them,” he could almost hear the roll of Sousuke's eyes.

“What have I told you about crushing your potential before you get started?” Sousuke sounded more entertained than amused and Ai's lips quirked up into a smile and he laughed softly.

“Thank you Senpai,” he responded breezily, listening to Sousuke rasp another tired laugh. “I'll see you all at prefecturals.”

“Okay, night Ai,” the line clicked off with another huff of Sousuke's soft laughter and Ai smiled to himself despite the lingering pang of another opportunity lost.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! You've done it, and so have I! We've both reached the end. Thank you so so much for taking this journey with me, I wouldn't have been able to finish this story without all the lovely kudos and truly motivating comments that I've gotten. You're all great. Now, go read the chapter!

The tournament went well for their first of the year, ending with three wins for Seien. It felt nice, even if the atmosphere was different than what Ai was used to. He let Yurika doze off next to him on the ride back to school, smiling into the dark air. He still missed swimming, and Rin's updates on the relay team were becoming increasingly more painful to listen to now that Momo was on it as well. 

Prefecturals immediately followed and Ai couldn't stop smiling when he and Yurika climbed on the train together, carrying his Samezuka bag with his suit, cap, and goggles tucked into one of the pockets. It felt a little silly and Mei had rolled her eyes when she saw him packing them. It was more the hope that there would be a moment he could sneak in to Samezuka's warm ups than the distant fantasy he could swim with them like Rin had last year. They showed up a little later than the teams, walking with their arms linked together until they saw a swarm of black track jackets. Ai's cheeks almost hurt at his grin, not surprised that Rin's head snapped up as soon as they were within ten feet, a sharp grin taking over his face.

While it might have been romantic for them to sprint into each others arms, instead Rin winked at him and returned to addressing the team, Sousuke rolling his eyes and grabbing the back of Momo's shirt to keep him from bounding at Ai instead. He leaned a little closer to try and catch some of Rin's talk, Yurika waving once to Shouta before letting her attention wander over the alphas on the team that she wasn't related to. He looked faintly annoyed by the sudden distraction on Uozumi's and Minami's faces.

Ai walked up the steps with Yurika, squeaking in surprise as a beefy arm was thrown around the back of his neck. He looked up at Sejiuurou with a smile, not wiggling against his hold as he knocked their heads together in greeting. He was glad there was a little more restraint in his greetings now, he'd had too many bruised temples between the Mikoshiba brothers in the past. 

"Nitori-kun! I'm glad you could make it this time," his voice was still booming and he leaned down closer to Ai with a dangerous glitter in his eyes. "Especially because soon we'll practically be brothers."

They both glanced over at Rin, huffing out sighs as he was just now finishing his talk and seemed not to have heard that comment. Momo probably couldn't be relied upon to stay calm either and Ai was glad Sousuke was still holding him steady as they all filed into their seats. Rin glared a little at Sejiuurou until he let go of Ai entirely, snorting in a small measure of aggravation. Sejiuurou simply boomed another laugh and walked to take a seat at the top of their section. Rin seemed pleased, wrapping his arms around his mate without delaying any further, pressing his cheek against Ai's hair and closing his eyes with a long-suffering sigh.

"Hey," he grumbled, making Ai giggle and lean up to nibble the bottom of his chin in a more formal greeting. Rin's hand drifted from his back to press against the mark on the side of his neck, Ai purring softly against his chin.

"Hi Rin," he smiled, huffing just a little as Rin let go. He took Ai's hand instead, cocking his head and grinning a little wider.

"I haven't gone to talk to the enemy yet, you can come with me if you want," he grinned, giving Ai's hand a little squeeze as Ai nodded, glancing at Yurika already settled in next to her cousin and Minami with a grin on her face. She waved to him with a giggle and Ai turned to follow Rin over to the small section of stands Iwatobi occupied. 

Nagisa's hug nearly knocked him flat, Rei lurching to his feet too late to actually restrain the blonde omega. Ai wrapped his arms tight around Nagisa in return, trying to give him the same put-out expression he always gave Momo. It was totally ineffective and Nagisa sprang back a step, pulling the collar of his jacket down to reveal a blue-ish bite mark on the right side of his neck. "Ai-chan! Look, we match now!"

Rei looked like he was ready to collapse, pushing his glasses up on his face in an attempt to cover his furious blush. "N-Nagisa-kun it's not polite to d-display that in such a way."

Nagisa just rolled his eyes, poking at the mark on Ai's neck with a giggle. "It's fine Rei-chan! That's the whole point of having one, so you can show off."

"Hey! Quit that, Squirt," Rin turned from talking to Haru and swatted at Nagisa's hand, glaring just a little. 

Nagisa laughed at that, rolling his eyes but dropping his hand nonetheless. "Sorry, Rinrin."

He didn't sound sorry, but Rin either didn't notice or more likely ignored it entirely. He turned back to whatever he was saying to Haru and Makoto, letting Nagisa babble in his ear the whole time. Most of it wasn't news, he and Nagisa texted quite frequently, he'd even been aware beforehand of the fact that Nagisa's six point seduction plan of Rei was a success (he'd seen the actual plan before. It was impressively through, and color-coded, with butterflies doodled all over the pages.) Rei only chimed in occasionally, usually he spent his time staring at his omega with a kind of exasperated fondness.

Ai was a little surprised when Rin tapped on his shoulder, actually intently focused on the story of Haru trying to go swimming in a lobster tank. Nagisa pounced on him with another hug before Rin tugged him back to Samezuka's section, smiling even wider than before. "Nagisa likes you."

"He likes everyone," Ai giggled, tucking himself against the alpha's side as they walked. Rin shrugged softly, lifting his hand to rest it on the back of Ai's neck. His smile faded a degree at a single wolf whistle directed at them, head jerking around with a soft growl until Ai gave him a little tug. "C'mon Rin, don't worry about them."

Rin nodded though there was a line of tension between his eyebrows. It wasn't uncommon at competitions like this, and Ai had gotten much worse that whistling the few times he had wandered away from the bulk of the team. 

Still, Rin's arm tightened protectively around him and Ai couldn't help but smile a little, cocking an eyebrow when Rin turned a corner that definitely didn't lead back to the stands where the team was sitting. Instead, it was the hallway that led to one of the locker rooms; currently empty before any of the events were scheduled to begin. There was a smirk on Rin's face as he nudged the omega against one of the walls, nuzzling his cheek until Ai tilted his face up for a kiss.

It was obviously what Rin had been searching for, and his arms wrapped around Ai's waist as he pressed them tighter against the wall behind Ai. The little whimper that fell out of his mouth when he felt Rin's tongue again was far from being in protest and a growl rumbled out of Rin's chest in response. Rin continued pressing warm kisses against his mouth until his phone warbled from his pocket, making him pull back with a clipped growl. Ai almost laughed at the put-out expression on Rin's face, pressing a fleeting kiss to his lips and giving him a little bump with the side of his hip.

"You have to go be captain," he chuckled, shivering and biting down on his lip as Rin slid his tongue over the bitemark on his neck once before grumbling and stepping away with a nod. He wound his arm around Ai's shoulders once more, reluctant to spend any of the time that he had not holding on to his mate. Sousuke smirked at them both when they finally made it back to take their seats, his eyebrow quirked in a way that was a little too smug. Ai's cheeks flushed and he turned away, giggling softly at Shouta glaring at Minami's proximity to his cousin.

Minami seemed to be doing his level best to smooth-talk the blonde omega, succeeding in making his own face burn with embarrassment. Ai rolled his eyes a little, turning back when he felt Rin's fingers lace through his. Rin smirked at him a little, glancing around at his team and seeming satisfied with the state they were in. 

“Nitori-senpai!” Momo cried, the only warning Ai got before he was nearly knocked out of his seat by the other omega throwing himself forcefully into a hug. It seemed Sousuke had finally let him go, and the waiting had done absolutely nothing to calm his excitement at seeing his former roommate again. Ai wrapped his free arm around Momo's back, finding he couldn't even roll his eyes.

“I missed you too Momo-kun,” he patted Momo's back soothingly, ducking his head into the nuzzle he received in greeting. It was just shy of bruising on impact and Ai barely fought off his cringe. Momo lifted away from the hug after a long moment, smiling like he was on top of the world.

“Now we have to win!” His head snapped to the side, looking up at Toru with fierce determination. “ Iwashimizu-senpai! You have to win for Nitori-senpai!”

Toru raised an eyebrow, looking annoyed by Momo's outburst until a smile tilted at the corner of his lips, nodding his head with a little roll of his eyes. “Like I don't know that already.”

For all of Toru's usual bluster and arrogance, his eyes lingered a second longer on Ai, his fingers twitching just a little against the fabric of his track pants. Ai gave him the most calming smile that he could before his attention was drawn away by Sousuke asking for the details of the volleyball tournament over his shoulder.

The very mention of it sent Yurika to loudly explaining just how good her spikes were, leading to the fact that Ai's new team was actually made up of nothing but omega's to be something of popular knowledge. He could feel Shouta withering at the demands he take them all to watch the next round of games. It felt nice, even if it seemed like everyone was in competition for a little piece of his attention.

Rin refused to let go of his hand until he had to actually stand up and start calling people for their races, having to nearly scrape Momo away from Ai's side send him off for the backstroke event. Uozumi walked with him, hand resting light and friendly on the back of the firey omega's neck. Ai hadn't failed to notice that Sousuke held the clipboard that Rin usually used during events, and instead of taking it back once he sat Rin scooped Ai's hand up once again, pressing kisses against his knuckles.

“Shouldn't you be paying attention?” Ai scolded gently, rolling his eyes a little as Rin's gaze flicked over to the pool before he shrugged.

“I'm more interested in this,” he held up Ai's hand with a lopsided grin, chuckling as Ai gave him a weak shrug of protest. “Sousuke's got it!”

“You're still the captain,” Ai admonished, scooting closer despite his argument and leaning his head on Rin's shoulder with a delicate sigh. Rin shifted to accommodate him almost before he had finished laying his head down, wrapping his arm around Ai's back rather than holding onto his hand. There were several appreciative hoots from the team that only made Ai flush a little.

It was a little strange, feeling so much like he was sliding back into place with a team- a pack, that he no longer belonged to. Still, he couldn't resist cuddling into Rin's side with a small smile on his face, taking part in the conversations that rolled through the swimmers on all sides of him. Rin almost groaned when his race came up next, reluctantly unwrapping his arm from Ai's side and stood with a long stretch, looking down at the omega with a smirk stretched over his face. Ai giggled softly, stretching his legs out with a nod.

"Go beat Nanase-san!" He chirped, leaning back on his palms as the alpha bounded down the steps almost two at a time, giggling as Yurika dropped into the seat next to him as soon Rin was at the bottom of the steps. She cocked her head to the side, looking Ai over with a bright smile.

"You look happy Ai-chan," she observed cheerfully, leaning around Ai and waving at Momo with. His eyes sparkled and Ai started to lean out of the way of his inevitable leap before Sousuke caught the back of his shirt with a little snort, restraining the omega with the barest roll of his eyes. 

"Momo-kun was my roommate," he mumbled at her curious look, letting her lean on his shoulder without complaint. Instead he lifted one of her hands off of her lap, raising an eyebrow and rolling her wrist in his hand, not missing the way she cringed slightly. "You were spiking last night."

"N-no!" She protested quickly, huffing a sigh as he released her hand with a cocked eyebrow. "Setsuna wouldn't toss for me so I just did serves."

"Good thing, since you nearly sprained it last time," Ai nudged her a little, his head snapping up as the race before Rin's finished. Yurika caught the smile lit on his face, giggling as Rin looked straight up to their position in the stands with a wide grin stretched across his face, sharp teeth sparkling in the sunlight before he turned back to Haru in the lane next to him. Yurika giggled at that, shaking her head and smiling as they prepared to take the blocks.

"He's a whole lotta alpha, isn't he?" She turned back to Ai, cocking her head to the side a little. He flushed and nodded with a little hum, unable to pull his eyes off of Rin stepping on the block, snapping the band of his goggles against the back of his head in a way that Ai had never quite mastered. His whole body jolted at the starting shot, feeling the sudden spike in adrenaline and heart rate through the bond as Rin's body lurched forward into the water. He caught the sound of Yurika gasping in surprise before the team started chanting around him, Ai unconscious to the way his voice rose over the rest.

He had always found it impossible to look away from Rin in a competition, but it was entirely different experiencing it as his mate. He could feel the exhilaration that took hold of Rin, his heart beating hard with the exertion, the barest awareness of the swimmers around him. Ai gulped an extra breath as Rin hit his first turn, surging up to his feet and feeling his mouth move around syllables that didn't actually reach his ears. He tensed as Rin hit the wall at the end, panting along with him as Rin tugged his goggles up and grinned at his time on the board, thrusting a fist in the air in victory before turning to Haru with a wide smile.

It was only at that point that Ai noticed Makoto in the lane to Haru's other side, panting hard and stretching his arms out. Haru's eyes flicked back to his mate as Rin pulled himself out of the water, both of them lingering there and exchanging words. Ai didn't stop to watch, bouncing out of his seat and down the stairs before his mind could catch up and tell him that he wasn't actually supposed to go into the locker rooms anymore. He met Rin there with a smile so wide it hurt, throwing his arms around his mate excitedly ignoring the water still dripping off of him. Rin jolted before laughing and hugging Ai tightly in return, blinking and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"You did great," Ai mumbled after a moment, releasing Rin with a smile that flashed all of his teeth. Rin seemed to puff up further at that, nodding his head and going back to toweling his hair off. Ai could feel the triumph nearly vibrating off of him, and when he draped the towel around his neck he leaned forward and kissed Ai once more, one hand lifting to curl in his hair. He didn't let go until the sounds of the next batch of racers started at the doorway to the locker room, his thumb dragging a hot trail over the curve of Ai's jaw.

"We have the relay in a couple of minutes so you should-" Rin stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing before he frowned a little. Ai cocked his head before his cheeks flushed red, nodding and taking a step away. He's forgotten for the moment that he wasn't a member of their relay, feeling suddenly foolish for the swim gear tucked in the smallest pocket of his bag like there was still a chance for him. He could hear Sousuke's rumbling voice and Toru's confident laughter before they rounded the corner. Both alpha's seemed painfully aware of the crestfallen look on Ai's face, but Momo simply beamed and took Ai's hands.

"Are you here to wish us luck Nitori-senpai?" He smiled as Ai nodded, almost in a daze as his eyes jumped to Toru without permission. It was so stupid to feel angry at him, but it bubbled in the center of Ai's stomach nonetheless. Toru met his gaze before turning away to change, his shoulders tenser than they were upon entry. Ai gave Momo's hair a ruffle, nodding at him.

"R-remember you promised to beat Tachibana-san for me," he tried to sound confident, but his voice was on the edge of faltering into tears. It was obvious Rin noticed from the arm that wrapped around his side, tugging him gently out while he waved over his shoulder to the other swimmers.

He stopped just before the door to the locker room, looking down at Ai with a frown and a concerned crease between his brows. He was quiet for a long moment before he huffed out a sigh. "You don't have to watch us race."

"Th-that's why I came! Of course I do!" Ai protested a little too quickly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Toru leap in the water against Nagisa; he wasn't sure that he wanted to see Toru win with his friends. Rin hesitated again before cupping his cheek and kissing Ai's forehead softly.

"I won't be mad at you... Trust me, I get how hard it is to watch a race carry on without you," he frowned after he spoke like it wasn't what he really wanted to say. Still, Ai pushed a smile on his face and leaned up to nibble the bottom of Rin's chin affectionately.

"It's okay, I'll be there to cheer for you," his voice was even and Rin's frowning eased a little. He didn't need to be thinking about Ai before his race anyway. He ducked out after one last kiss, promising over his shoulder to go straight back to the team so no one would bother him. He milled outside the locker room for a second before turning back to Samezuka's place in the stands, tucking his hands in the pockets of his shorts and trying to swallow down the tears that were threatening him before he got there. It wasn't likely that anyone would notice, but he stopped well before he got there. He didn't want to see the pitying looks on their faces, the reminder that even if he could slide back in like he belonged with them, in the end he didn't.

He was sure they all knew how badly he'd wanted to swim in the relay with Rin, even if he tried to be quiet about his desires. It had been as obvious to the team as Rin's crush to Iwatobi. Instead he walked up the set of bleachers closest to him, ignoring the curious team that he passed. He sat several rows above them, curling in on himself quietly and staring at the teams all lining up next to each other. He was glad that Rin didn't glance up for him this time, instead standing behind Sousuke with a focused frown on his face. He had his cap tugged firmly on, but his goggles were still clamped in hand.

He would probably still be riding on his victory over Nanase just before if Ai hadn't distracted him, and the thought made his stomach twist on itself. He'd been distracting Rin all day, to the point where Sousuke had done most of the things Rin usually did before a meet with the exception of boosting each racers morale before it was his turn to go. It was worse, Ai decided, than the bitter stab of defeat that he was used to. He hadn't even gotten to try this time, and instead of dragging the team down by racing badly he was dragging them down without racing at all.

He had his face pressed into his knees before the shot even went off, glancing up despite himself to track Momo's progress through the water. He didn't manage to beat Makoto outright, but he was easily within two strokes as his fingers tapped against the wall, Toru diving over him into the water. Ai was caught between wanting to see anything else and being unable to pull his eyes away, clenching his hands into tight fists against his thighs. 

His body was small enough that he fit entirely within the seat, biting savagely into his lower lip as he watched. He thought maybe he saw Rin cringe when he tasted blood in his mouth, but it was likely just wishful thinking on his part. He huffed when Toru beat Nagisa once again, pressing his face against his knees and snapping his eyes shut with a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. He wanted to watch Rin swim, it was always breathtaking and he could still feel the moment his mate hit the water.

But he didn't lift his head up, trying instead to picture that it was him swimming the breast lap instead, picturing the smooth flow of water around him, slicing through it with ease and pulling them ahead by just seconds with his hard work. The buzzer signaled Rin's hand hitting the wall (he didn't have to look to know it was Rin, it had to be.) and Ai still didn't pull his face away from his legs. He could feel the warm leak of tears from his eyes, lifting his hands from where they were pressed between his legs and chest to rub at his eyes. 

It was such a shock when a hand ghosted over his back that Ai almost leaped out of his skin, lifting his head and blinking furiously at the alpha who had dropped into the seat next to him. His jersey was green and Ai didn't recognize the logo of the school right away, meaning they were probably a minor group, not one of the powerhouse academies that Samezuka competed more directly with at smaller meets. He smiled unevenly at the omega's teary eyes, his hand still resting large and warm on Ai's back.

"Is everything okay?" His voice was soft and relaxing, but Ai leaned away a little regardless, rubbing the backs of his hands into his eyes before nodding sharply. It was so obvious that he didn't bother to think of it as a lie, instead starting to push himself out of the seat. Rin would worry if he got back to their seats and Ai wasn't there, and if he was quick he'd have enough time to wash his face off quickly before Rin finished his shower. He squeaked when a gentle pressure on his shoulder held him in his seat, the alpha next to him still smiling gently at him. "Hey, you can stay here. It's alright."

He was built tall and broad like Sousuke and Makoto, with hair shimmering copper in the sun and eyes that turned upward at the corners. He didn't have the same gentleness that Makoto managed to imbue every gesture with, but he wasn't threatening either. Still, Ai wiggled in the seat and swallowed hard, surprised by how thick his throat felt.

"I-I have to go back and meet my friends," Ai mumbled, sounding like he wasn't sure of the fact. The alpha nodded slowly, moving his hand to Ai's elbow instead to help him stand steady. He glanced at Ai's clothes, clearly expecting him to be in one of the team jerseys and surprised when he wasn't. Ai rubbed at his eyes again, swallowing the last of his tears and pushing a watery smile onto his face. He could do this; he could be happy for Rin and the team that won with him. "I'm here with Samezuka."

He was able to sound confident about that at least, but the alpha nodded, giving his team a wave as Ai walked down the stands next to him. He kept one hand resting feather light on Ai's elbow like he was scared the omega would tip over at any second. "I'm guessing you didn't get lost. I'm Hisoka."

"N-Nitori," Ai offered softly, rubbing the back of his neck at the comment. "I just... needed a moment to myself, really. I'm alright."

"Do you always wander by yourself at these things? You must worry your mate to pieces,” he sounded light, almost entertained but Ai shrugged and fought the urge to cringe at how true that was. Still he held onto his smile, because if he were good at nothing else he'd still be able to smile whenever someone needed him to.

“Ah- I suppose I do,” he agreed quietly, tucking his hands into his pockets with a nod. He wished he had put on the Samezuka jacket that was sitting halfway folded in his bag. He'd spent enough time pretending he was actually part of the team for the day, however, even if it would be a comfort now. 

Rin did beat him back though thankfully his eyes didn't feel so puffy and sensitive by the time he saw them and Ai hoped that meant most of the redness had faded. He growled lowly at the hand that dropped away from Ai's elbow, stepping forward and tucking Ai under his arm protectively with both brows scrunched together. Ai half-smiled, giving Rin's jacket a tug to reclaim his attention before bowing his head gently.

“Thank you for walking with me Hisoka-san,” he tried to emphasize the whole sentence, sighing as Rin didn't ease his posturing and Hisoka waved once before backing down the steps with a little chuckle. Rin snorted once before Ai gave him a gentle bump with his hip. “You should be polite, he was just being nice.”

Rin clicked his tongue, squeezing Ai a little closer to his side before sitting down. “I expected you to be up here.”

“Ah- I got turned around,” Ai smiled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He was glad when Rin just playfully rolled his eyes, poking Ai's temple gently.

“Don't turn into Sousuke on me. I don't wanna keep track of both of you,” he smiled even as he said it and Ai nodded, leaning his head on Rin's shoulder with an agreeing hum. 

Later, riding the train back from the meet Ai could still feel the phantom of Rin’s arm around his shoulders, coupled with the lead ball of dread his stomach kept squeezing around. He couldn’t help but want to hold onto the fading warmth.

 

After that, Rin's life picked up speed like a boulder rolling down a hill. Somewhere in between preparing the team for nationals, discussing scouting offers, trying to find a dream for Haru, and learning about Sousuke's injured shoulder, Ai slipped through the cracks. 

And just like a boulder rolling down a hill, Rin hit the bottom with a crash. It was quieter than it had any right to be, and after pitching his phone against the wall so hard it broke into pieces he had no hope of putting back together or even finding through tear-blurred eyes he jerked his laptop out and left the room twenty minutes later with a pair of plane tickets and a half-packed suitcase.

He hadn't thought hard about what he put in it, but some part of his mind was aware of the shift in weather between Iwatobi and Australia because when he and Haru stepped off the plane he had a heavy winter jacket on and he mostly mumbled his way through customs for the both of them.

Haru's natural taciturnity meant that he didn't ask what they were doing across the ocean a weak before nationals until they were actually standing on the beach with Rin dodging waves barefoot, hissing at the cold water washing over his toes.

“Me and Ai are done,” he responded simply, not looking over his shoulder. Haru's bare legs were stretched out towards the water like he was hungering for it to slide far enough up the beach and envelop him, but instead of turning to have an actual conversation Rin stared out over the water instead. It still made him feel small, made the words feel even smaller when they came out of his mouth.

If it hadn't felt real over the phone it had set in painfully the moment his awareness of his bond with Ai shattered into confused fragments. He had almost hoped for a there-then-gone feeling, like turning out a light. Instead, it was like blowing out a thousand candles, the smoke they left still swirling and clouding around in his mind.

Haru didn't push him for more, and when Rin explained over dinner with his host parents that he doesn't have a mate and tacked on that he still isn't interested, the omega frowned. He may not be able to understand English, but he could understand how sour and hurt Rin's voice was, and when they wind up having to share a bed after Haru had a conversation with Makoto that was far too long for how he mostly responded with varying grunts and hums, neither of them complained.

Rin woke up feeling like a forest fire and dragged Haru with him onto a train that rattled its way across the city. Haru found himself staring out the window while still trying to keep a piece of his attention on Rin, who seemed helpless to stop twitching, rubbing restlessly at one of his temples. He noticed Haru glancing back and sighed before dropping his hand.

“Just, headache. Sorry,” it was becoming an odd habit on this trip for Rin to speak in uncomfortable half-sentences. Haru nodded, almost smiling as Rin picked up a little of his customary energy when they finally climbed off the train. 

Haru was almost caught marveling at the outside of the huge Aquatic Center, the squirting fountains that lined the walkway and the parade of awards that Rin grinned at as they walked past, out onto a glass railed balcony. He leaned his elbows on the edge, looking over the sparkling pool with the first actual smile he'd had since showing up at Haru's house in the middle of the night and instructing him to start packing.

“I'm gonna ask my old coach if I can join his team next year,” Rin nodded confidently at his own words, twisting his fingers together and refusing to look at anything but the pool stretched out below him. 

“Isn't that like running away?” Haru asked after a long moment of thought. He expected a cringe or the kind of shouting matches that had become common between himself and Rin at one point. Instead, Rin shrugged his shoulders.

“Might be. It was the plan before all this happened anyway,” he pushed himself off the rail before nodding at the water and tugging the strap of Haru's bag. “Let's race.”

They raced, and while standing on the blocks is exhilarating to Haru in a way it hadn't been, Rin pulled himself out of the water feeling like someone had indiscriminately scooped out his insides. They went back, Haru and Makoto patched up their contention over the future, Sousuke was the only one specifically waiting for Rin at the airport.

The win at nationals didn't make him feel any less like an animated skeleton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (hello again. i'm sorry, don't hate me. there will be a sequel, it will be called After The Storm, and i'll see you all then.)


End file.
